The Search is Over
by mingtsai
Summary: Four years ago, Yi Jeong had left for Sweden to search for his self and his heart again. He has rediscovered his self through pottery. Now, he only needs to search for his heart and he realized… he knew exactly where he'll find it...
1. Prologue

Prologue

So Yi Jeong knew this was a make or break situation, another once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. And for all that he's worth, this time he vows to see things through to the end. Or until he gets the ending he wants, that is.

As he looks up to the young woman entering through the glass doors, he notices his labored breathing and had to smile slightly to himself because in his twenty-six years of existence, never had there been a time such as this. He'd never known how the sight of a person can make your heart beat faster or turn your palms sweaty or quicken your breath intake. Never. Until her.

He's well aware of the gravity of what he was about to do but this is the only way. The only way he knew how. And he will do this even if it's the last thing he does.

From his vantage point, he had the perfect view of her profile. She was just how he remembered since he saw her last but also not as he remembered. She had the same long hair, same lips that in that moment broke into a smile at something her companion said. She had the same air of humility and beauty and everything good and right in this world. But at the same time, she was also somewhat different. And if at all possible, she's grown to be more beautiful and regal but still managed to look so down-to-earth. But the most striking of all, even from a distance, he could see that something was different in her through her eyes. Although at that moment, he could not put his finger on it. 'Well, I guess I'll found out soon enough when I get to see her eyes up close.' He thought.

He continued to stare at the woman and started fidgeting when she started walking towards his direction. He, So Yi Jeong, is fidgeting. In the past, this occurrence would have been totally groundless and unfounded given the fact that he was a ladies' man and girls were the ones who did the fidgeting, not him. But now, given the fact also that he was here, seeking his redemption, a man can not help but feel restless in the face of an uncertain future. After all, everything hinges on this meeting. 'Here goes nothing. And here goes everything.' Yi Jeong thought to himself as he stood up to greet his approaching guests.

The woman's companion, having seen him from the moment they entered through the glass doors, now turned fully to look at him as he stood up. The young woman having noticed her companion looking at something turned her head and that was when their eyes met.

Yi Jeong could not have fully prepared himself against the impact of that set of familiar eyes on him. He saw them widen upon instant recognition. He heard her soft gasp as she unconsciously brought her hand to her mouth in shock. And then the most beautiful sound in the world.

"Yi Jeong Sunbae." She said in surprise.

"Annyong Ga Eul-yang."


	2. Chapter 01

Chapter 1

"Annyong Ga Eul-yang." Yi Jeong greeted. "Annyong Jan Di," he added. He smiled inwardly at GaEul's expression. To say that she was shocked to see him would be an understatement. She was staring at him as if he were a ghost and perhaps that's how she saw him at that moment. His feelings turned somber as he returned her gaze.

The three of them stayed that way for several moments: Jandi looking worriedly at GaEul, Ga Eul looking intently at Yi Jeong, and Yi Jeong staring back at Ga Eul waiting for her to get a grip on the fact that he was really there in the flesh, in front of her.

"Ga Eul-yang..." he prompted softly. That seemed to snap Ga Eul out of her reverie. And as if they just saw each other yesterday, Ga Eul suddenly smiled widely and greeted him back. "Annyong, Yi Jeong sunbae. I'm sorry for a while ago. It was just… I thought for a moment you were a hallucination." Ga Eul smiled apologetically.

'Hallucination, huh,' Yi Jeong thought. He did not know which he disliked more, being a ghost or a hallucination in Ga Eul's eyes.

"It was just that you were gone for so long. It was really a shock to see you, that's all. How have you been? And when did you arrive?" And then she extended her hand to him. It was Yi Jeong's turn to be shocked at the gesture. He recovered almost instantly, masking his surprised expression with a smile, he took both his hands to hold hers and she added her other hand. She was smiling back at him like she was glad to see an old friend. Except he did not return just to be friends. He was out on a mission. "Well, Ga Eul-yang, I'm here holding your hand so I couldn't be a hallucination, right? I only arrived this morning. And I've been well. You?" Yi Jeong said.

"I've been great, sunbae. I wish you'd told us earlier that you were arriving today. We could have arranged something for you."

"Well, technically, I did tell some people." Yi Jeong said, looking pointedly at Jandi. Ga Eul caught on his pointed look and turned to her best friend. "Jandi, I can't believe you did not tell us." She was first to release her hands from his hold.

Jandi threw Yi Jeong a slightly irritated look and then turned to face Ga Eul. "I'm sorry, Ga Eul. Well, technically, Yi Jeong sunbae didn't tell me. He told Junpyo and Junpyo told me and then he made me swear not to tell anyone that Yi—…"

"I think I'm the one who owes everyone an apology." Yi Jeong interjected. "You don't have to get mad at your best friend, Ga Eul-yang." He smiled.

He saw her soft smile in return and for a moment his heart really did seem to stop. How he'd missed that smile, the way the side of her eyes would crinkle at the sides.

"Yi Jeong sunbae?"

Shoot. Did he just space out? And because of what? Ga Eul's smile? Although it was the most beautiful smile he'll ever see, but that's beside the point. He berated himself. 'Yi Jeong, have some dignity, man.' He told himself. "Ah, sorry Ga Eul-yang. You were saying something?"

"I said, where are we supposed to wait for everyone else?"

Ah, that question. "Well, technically, Ga Eul, it's just us. For now."

"Huh?"

"I wanted to speak to you alone." He answered.

"Alone?" Ga Eul asked while taking a quick look at Jan Di. Yi Jeong followed Ga Eul's line of sight and glanced at Jandi as well. Jandi, on the other hand, took in Ga Eul's innocent but questioning look and Yi Jeong's pleading but resolute look and remembered her conversation with Junpyo just a couple of hours earlier.

_"Jandi, please."_

"Absolutely not."

"Why are you being so stubborn?"

"Why? You're asking me, why? Junpyo, have you forgotten how it was for Ga Eul these past few years? Tell me you haven't forgotten."

"I know. And I understand where you're coming from. Ga Eul's your best friend. But please understand that Yi Jeong is my best friend as well. He seldom asks for a favor. And believe it or not I think this means everything to him. You've got to help him."

"I refuse. I won't put Ga Eul through any more pain. And besides, why in the world's name would I help him? He disappeared like.. poof… like smoke from the face of this earth. How far was Sweden anyway? Not even a phone call? Not even a letter? Not even an email for crying out loud! If you have something that would come close to a probable reason for his non-existence, tell me. I might reconsider. Otherwise, this conversation is over, Gu Junpyo."

"Jandi, I know it will be hard to believe. And it probably wouldn't suffice a reason but he's got one. He's got a good one."

Jandi sighed inwardly. Talk about finding yourself stuck between a rock and a hard place. On one hand, she adores her best friend and only wants what's best for her. She knew her pain in the past and wouldn't blame her if she won't doesn't speak to her again after what she's about to do. On the other hand, after listening to Junpyo's explanation of Yi Jeong's story, for some reason, she'd like to believe in him now. If Ga Eul can still find happiness with Yi Jeong, then she's all for it. What she's giving right now to Yi Jeong was a window. In the end, it will still be Ga Eul's decision. And she has no problem with that.

And then her phone rang. As scheduled. She answered it with feign shock and worry in her voice. "Mom, what happened? Mom, calm down. Tell me what happened." A pause, and then. "What? Okay, I'll be right there." She hung up her phone and turned to face Ga Eul.

"Is everything all right, Jandi?" Ga Eul asked worriedly.

"I'm sorry, Ga Eul. That was my mom. She's turning hysterical again and I can't quite understand what's going on but I have to go to them right now. It's probably nothing, knowing my mom but still, I have to make sure. I hope you understand."

"Of course I understand, Jandi. Tell me later what happened, okay?" Ga Eul said.

"Okay. Then, I'll leave now. See you later Ga Eul. I'll see you later, Yi Jeong sunbae." And with that she left through the glass doors, all the while thinking, I'm sorry for lying, Ga Eul.

Yi Jeong watched as Jandi disappeared through the glass doors. He silently sighed. He'll have to think of a way to thank Junpyo and Jandi. He then turned to face the woman beside him.

"Ga Eul-yang. Have you eaten lunch already?" Great job, Casanova. Lunch? Didn't think of anything better to ask, right? Yi Jeong thought. He slightly rolled his eyes in disbelief at his inability to say the right words.

Ga Eul caught him rolling his eyes and smiled. "Actually, I have, sunbae. But if you haven't, I can accompany you."

He chuckled. He had already eaten lunch as well. "I'm done eating lunch as well. Well then, how about we just visit this nice museum I haven't been to in a long time. I heard there's a section where they are displacing new pieces from up and coming artists. I'm kind of curious to see."

"All right, let's go then."


	3. Chapter 02

Chapter 2

Yi Jeong continued to stare at Ga Eul as she looks at paintings after paintings that lined up the walls of a gallery in the So Museum. He recalled the car ride to the museum with an unnameable feeling. On one hand, it was weird to be expecting so much awkwardness and then feeling nothing of the sort. The car was filled with peaceful silence. He knew all the things he wanted to say and all the things he needed to say and felt that it was a good moment to start. But when he glanced at Ga Eul, staring out the window, with a wistful smile playing on her lips, the words, yet again, would not come out. He felt it would just be rude to ruin such a wonderful day with words of explanation and maybe for her, words of justification. On the other hand, there is still that nagging feeling that something was different. Different in her, in him, and with their relationship. And it was kind of frustrating to not be able to put his finger on it at the moment. Well, he figured it would come to him one of these days, and sooner he dared to hope.

And now, he continued to glance every now and then at this special woman with a feeling of contentment, not minding a bit that he was looking from afar. Somehow, Ga Eul was truly engrossed in her viewing that Yi Jeong just decided to stay back and let her go around the gallery. He actually preferred staying put on one side and have the vantage of just being able to look at her every movement. Somehow, he was able to find it in himself to drag himself from her side and just let her enjoy the artworks for some time. _'I've missed you. So much.' _The thought just sprang out unbidden.

When Ga Eul finished with the last painting, Yi Jeong saw her glanced at her side and then glanced around the room. At that moment, he could not help but find Ga Eul too cute and charming for her own good. His face broke into a smile as she continued to search the room for him. And somehow, his feet just started moving towards her. Ga Eul then noticed him approaching and smiled at him and then in a reproaching voice said, "Yah, Sunbae. Where were you?"

(Ga Eul's feelings took a nose dive when he turned her head and found that Yi Jeong was not by her side. She looked around the room looking for that familiar head and not seeing him made her felt ill for a moment. She thought she had just imagined his presence and had somehow brought herself to a point where hallucinations of him would already mean reality for her. At best, she thought she had gone insane.)

"Why? Did you miss me already?" Yi Jeong jokingly asked, but somehow hoping she would just answer in the affirmative.

Ga Eul's smile faltered a little but then answered, "Haha, funny. You wish, sunbae." Her smile has returned.

(And Yi Jeong noticed and his smile also faltered a little.)

("Yi Jeong sunbae. Doesn't your neck hurt?" Ga Eul asked, glancing at him with a smile.)

("Huh?" Yi Jeong asked. )

"Well, a guy can dream." Yi Jeong said, looking Ga Eul straight in the eyes. He held her eyes for a minute. She was the one who broke contact.

"I'm sorry to say, sunbae. But keep dreaming." Ga Eul answered.

"Well, I will. But anyway, now that we've finished here, let's go to the pottery section." And with that, Yi Jeong took Ga Eul's hand. He started to tug when he realized at that moment what he just did. He slowly turned around to find Ga Eul staring at their joined hands. 'Shoot', Yi Jeong thought.

"Ga Eul, I..." he started.

But Ga Eul interrupted him with a laugh. "Sunbae, you do know that with your expression, you look like a kid at Christmas," she said while pulling her hand gently from his. He heard her laugh again. "I'm sorry for laughing, sunbae. It's just your expression..." She added while starting to walk forward.

Yi Jeong was getting the impression that she tried to cover up that awkward moment. And he was willing to follow her lead because he could not believe he had slipped so messily like that. Grabbing her hand? Seriously, So Yi Jeong? He rationalized with himself that he had thought it was one of those daydreams again he used to have back in Sweden.

"What are you doing, sunbae? Let's go." Ga Eul said.

Yi Jeong looked up to find Ga Eul already at the foot of the stairs to the pottery section. He looked at his hand again, the one that had held Ga Eul's not a minute ago. It just seemed natural to tug at her hand, the same way he had done for countless times all those years ago. He just could not help but notice how empty his hand felt at that moment. He looked up to see Ga Eul still waiting for him. 'Ga Eul,' he called out silently. 'Ga Eul.' Yi Jeong then started walking towards her.

"Why? Did I really look that funny?" Yi Jeong prompted, smiling at Ga Eul.

"Well, it's not that it's funny, although if I really think about it now, it was funny." Ga Eul laughed. "Hmm, let's just say, it's good to see your smile again, Yi Jeong Sunbae." She added.

"Wow, Ga Eul-yang. That's like saying you've missed me. Then can I say that dream has now come true?"

"That is so not the same, sunbae."

"Yeah, you're right." Yi Jeong said, smiling as they reached the third floor where the potteries were displayed. "Hmm, let's see. I'm kind of curious to see what pieces have changed and that are on display today."

"Well, I don't think much have changed since you left, although they do have a new section where they display new pieces from up and coming artists."

"Oh, really? How did you know?"

"Uh, well. You mentioned it before right?" Ga Eul said. "Let's take a look around. I'm also curious to see those new pieces are." She added.

So the two of them walked side by side, going from one piece to the next. A comfortable silence settled between them. For Yi Jeong, he was just simply happy to be back and to be walking by Ga Eul's side like again. And somehow he found the strength to hold himself back from taking her hand again. _'I've missed you.'_

"_Aww... That is so sweet." _Yi Jeong and Ga Eul both turned to the direction of collective sighs on one section on the floor.

"_How sweet." One girl crooned._

"_I know. If this is not love, I don't know what is." Another girl said._

"_Lucky girl." _

"_I know." The group of four girls sighed together again. _

"What's in that section, sunbae?" Ga Eul asked curiously.

"I'm not sure." Yi Jeong answered. "C'mon, let's take a look."

As the two of them neared that part of the gallery, the collective sighs seemed to get louder and more frequent from all the other visitors.

'_Look, it's So Yi Jeong.'_ Ga Eul heard one of the visitors said.

'_Wasn't he abroad or something? Is that really him?'_

'_Wow, he's gotten more handsome.' _Yi Jeong looked at Ga Eul at that moment and saw her smirk a little. She looked up at him and their eyes met. He gave a pseudo haughty shrug.

"You're so full of it, sunbae." Ga Eul whispered to him.

"Well, it's not my fault. They were the ones who said it not me." Yi Jeong said, smiling down at her.

"Fine. Fine. Whatever you say, sunbae."

'_Who's that girl with him?'_ They heard one girl said. The crowd was starting to get curious.

'_Oh, my god. That's her.'_ When Ga Eul heard that, she could not help but glance at the girl who had said it. '_You're right. Oh my god. It is her.'_ She heard the other girl answered as they looked at her disbelievingly. And then they smiled and waved at her. Ga Eul was unsure how to react so she just raised her hand a bit and sort of waved back at them. And then for some reason, all the other visitors started to wave at her.

"Ah, Sunbae. Are you not finding this strange?" Ga Eul asked and then immediately added, "Wrong question. I guess this is common occurrence to you, right? You should wave back at them. You're the one they're waving at."

"Ah, Ga Eul-yang. I don't think I'm the only one they're waving at."

"Really?" Ga Eul asked.

"Really. Wanna bet?" Yi Jeong challenged.

"Sunbae, what are you doing?" Ga Eul asked as she saw him walk away from her.

"Just trying to prove a point. Anyway, let's just take a look around."

"Fine. I bet you're just waiting for girls to flock to you." Yi Jeong heard Ga Eul said with a sad smile? But then he had to smile because at that moment, girls really did flock to him but more importantly to her as well.

'Miss. How did you take all these in?' One of the girls asked Ga Eul.

"Huh?" Ga Eul asked blankly.

'What a sweet gesture, wouldn't you agree?' Another girl asked.

"Excuse me?" Ga Eul asked back.

'Haven't you seen it yet?' Yet another girl.

'But that's impossible.' Now it was a mother with her young girl who spoke.

'Unni, it is you.' The little girl said to Ga Eul. 'I saw you there.' The girl pointed to one part of the exhibit. Then the girl pulled at her arm and led her to the section she was pointing at.

'See? Isn't that you?' The girl asked as she pointed to something.

Ga Eul pulled her eyes from the girl and followed to where she was pointing a finger. And for the second time that day, she brought her hand to her mouth in shock. Right in front of her, just a couple of steps away, was a life-size bust of her, a sculpture made from clay. And even though the label was two to three feet away from her, she could clearly see it.

And it read, _"SOUL MATE" by So Yi Jeong_.

"Ga Eul-yang." Ga Eul jumped a little at the sound of Yi Jeong's voice. She slowly turned around to face him. And in a most unprecedented manner, in the midst of the crowd that has gathered to watch them, he asked, "Have you found him, Ga Eul-yang? Have you found your soul mate?"


	4. Chapter 03

Chapter 3

Ga Eul placed a hand over her heart. She felt the beating against her chest grow stronger and stronger. Not only that but she thought she could hear it too, if that were at all possible. She turned around at the sound of Yi Jeong's voice and couldn't stop her eyes from going straight to his. And what she saw in them made it harder for her to breathe.

"Ga Eul-yang, have you found him already? Have you found your soul mate?" Yi Jeong asked.

She forced herself to look away from those eyes; eyes that she felt were showing too much of what she had wanted to see all those years ago. She forced herself to stare at the floor instead. Her mind was blank at the moment and for the life of her, could not think of anything to do or say for that matter. _'What can you do in a situation like this, really?'_ she thought to herself. Maybe she should just pinch herself since she has an awful feeling that she's reverting back to having daydreams of Yi Jeong again. Ga Eul pinched herself in the arm. 'Ouch.' she cried inwardly. Maybe she should just try to close her eyes for a moment. Maybe this was just another hallucination. And Ga Eul closed her eyes, all the while thinking, _'This is not happening. It couldn't be. More than impossible.'_ And then reprimanded herself, _'Ga Eul, what's happening to you. I thought you were beyond this already.'_

Yi Jeong, on the other hand, was rooted to his spot in the middle of the gallery, among all these strangers, waiting for Ga Eul's answer. _'Talk about proper timing.'_ Yi Jeong thought. He had wanted to do this in a more private manner but they were in this moment and nothing would have had a greater impact than after letting her see the sculpture.

He watched every expression that crossed Ga Eul's face closely. He knew she was surprised; although pleasantly or otherwise he couldn't be sure. Well, maybe surprised again would be an understatement. She was shocked, to say the least, and he knew that immediately in the way her body turned rigid as her eyes fell on the piece he made for her. When he had asked the question, he heard the coarseness of his voice and knew that the moment had already gotten to him. He knew this would be another turning point. Still, he willed himself to stare straight into her eyes. And what he saw in them made it harder for him to breathe. He couldn't have torn his eyes away from hers if a bomb were to fall on them at that moment. But then Ga Eul broke the contact and stared at the floor instead.

He did not know how much time had passed; if it were mere seconds or minutes, but then she raised her head and looked him squarely in the eyes.

"I think I have to go now, Sunbae." Ga Eul said and hurriedly went towards the staircase. "Yes, I think I need to go." She added, pointedly checking her watch.

Yi Jeong stared at the place she vacated and tried to process what just happened. _'Did Ga Eul just leave?'_ he thought. And again, the concept of time seemed to be beyond him that day. He didn't know how long he stood there. He had been prepared to accept every reaction from Ga Eul but apparently he wasn't prepared enough as he found himself dumbstruck again by her actions. He thought of all the scenarios he had played in his mind when he was planning this whole thing and he realized he had definitely thought of her walking out on him as a possibility. He just hadn't thought about how it would really feel. And what he was feeling right now, well, he didn't know yet.

"Ahjussi, why did Unni leave? Did she not like it?" The tiny voice of the same little girl brought him out of his reverie. He turned to look at the girl and then around the gallery and noticed that almost everyone was staring at him. And out of courtesy, or perhaps, because they felt kind of sorry for him, the visitors went back to what they were doing and left him to himself. The crowd had minded their own business, although some still sneaked glances at him.

'He was really shocked, wasn't he?' One lady said to her companion.

'Well, I would be to if I were in his place.' The companion answered.

'But why is he still standing there? Shouldn't he go after the girl?' Another girl said.

'Exactly.' Yi Jeong thought. That was what he should do. In fact, that is what he should be doing right now. Run after Ga Eul. He wasn't able to do that at Namsan but he sure would do it now. So why was he still standing there looking like a crazy idiot instead of going after the woman of his destiny?

_'Idiot.'_ he thought to himself. Yi Jeong turned around towards the stairwell and ran down the two flights of stairs. He ran across the lobby, barely squeezing through a big group of tourists, and reached the revolving doors to the museum. As he stepped outside he looked to his left and to his right, thinking which direction Ga Eul could have taken. He decided to try the direction to his left, to where the public transportation is.

Two hours later, he found himself back to the place where he had started: at the front of the So Museum. By himself. He couldn't find her. He'd looked at all the places he could think of: the porridge shop, her house, Jandi's house, the school; even at the Namsan stairs, by the kiln and he even dared with his studio, but she wasn't in any of those places. She wasn't in any of the places he thought to go to. After all those times in the past when he had found her almost instantly, without sweat or second thoughts, the one time that it was most important, his Ga Eul GPS tracker failed him. _(A/N: hehe couldn't help but include this.. I'm sorry I forgot who coined this YJ special ability but credits to that SoEulmate ^_^)_

He heard the big clock that hung at the entrance to the So Museum as it struck five o'clock. There was a rush of people going out. The museum would be closing soon. He stared at the Name Sign of his family's museum and smiled sadly to himself as he thought that this was the place he imagined he'd have the serious 'talk' with Ga Eul. He had planned to though. I guess some plans really just don't go the way you want them to. He felt the breeze on his face as he continued to stare at the museum's façade when a thought struck him.

_'It's not possible, is it?'_ he thought. But what if his ever reliant Ga Eul GPS tracker didn't fail him at all? He was back to where he had started his search and maybe it wasn't a coincidence at all. He felt his feet move beneath him, towards the revolving doors. Once inside, he was taking longer and faster steps across the lobby. He was running now up the two flights of stairs and with every step he felt somewhat lighter. He scanned the now almost empty gallery where the potteries were displayed. And as if curtains were slowly being parted, they revealed the one person he most wanted to see.

There she was. Yi Jeong saw Ga Eul standing at almost the exact same spot she was earlier that afternoon, looking at her sculpture, he guessed. Yi Jeong saw her turn around and he was afraid she was leaving already but then he saw her stop and turn back towards the sculpture. His breath hitched when Ga Eul approached the art piece and raised her right hand. Her fingers came in contact with the clay and she began to trace the contours. She then brought her left hand to her face, as if comparing if the replica was the same as the original. This made him smile.

_'This is it, So Yi Jeong. Try not to mess up.'_ Yi Jeong gave himself a prep talk in his mind as he slowly moved towards Ga Eul. 'No regrets.' He kept repeating in his head like a mantra. He was contemplating too how best to handle the situation. Should he just come out and say what he most wanted to say or just take things slow, wait for her to adjust to his return? Which one should he choose? And then he was standing not four feet away from her.

"Ga—"

"This is beautiful, Yi Jeong Sunbae. Almost exquisite." Ga Eul started. Yi Jeong, caught by surprise, stopped in his tracks at the sound of her voice.

"Ga Eul-yang?"

Ga Eul turned around and faced him. "I guess those four years in Sweden really were good for you, right? With the perfect time and the perfect place to be."

"Ga Eul-yang, I—"

"I heard from F3 that you just had a very successful show. Congratulations. I'm happy for you, sunbae." Ga Eul said, her sincerity apparent in her every word. She was smiling at him but he thought her smile did not quite reach her eyes.

"Sweden…" he started, "Sweden was a great experience for me Ga Eul-yang. It's a place that holds special memories for me, not just as a potter but as a person.

Ga Eul cleared her throat a bit as she said, "You've changed, haven't you sunbae?"

"Lots of things have changed in the past four years."

"Yes." Ga Eul answered. "Yes, they have."

"So, are there any more embarrassing images of me around here I should know about, sunbae?" Ga Eul asked, her voice teasing.

Yi Jeong laughed at that. "I'm sorry to burst your bubble, but that is still the only one on display here."

"Good. We wouldn't want to give the people the wrong idea, right?" Ga Eul's voice turned somber.

"Why did you leave so suddenly earlier?"

"I needed to pee?" Ga Eul offered jokingly. "Seriously sunbae, my stomach was retaliating and I needed to go—" Ga Eul was stopped short when she looked at Yi Jeong's face and found it serious.

"I needed some air. I felt suffocated." Ga Eul admitted.

"You didn't like it?" Yi Jeong asked.

Ga Eul then turned and started walking, past the sculpture. Yi Jeong followed and soon they were just strolling through the gallery, looking at the pieces, both quiet. He was still waiting for her answer. It was after a very long pause when Ga Eul answered back.

"I used to come here often, Sunbae, you know. And also to your studio. Woo Bin Sunbae was kind enough to lend me a key. I hope you don't mind." Ga Eul glanced at him.

_'What? Ga Eul did what?'_ Yi Jeong's mind went completely blank with that revelation. And Woo Bin knew about this? That jerk, did not even tell him and they were best friends. He'd deal with him later. Right now he was still processing the things Ga Eul just said.

"Two maybe three times a week I'd come here but more often I would be at your studio. I'd be there almost every day, after work and I would practice my pottery. I actually bought a spinning wheel because I thought it would just be rude to use yours without your permission. To say the least, even with all that practice, I still had a long way to go." She laughed.

"You come to my studio everyday?"

"I used to."

"You used to."

"Yes, I used to. I stopped though."

"When?"

"Oh, one and a half, maybe two years ago."

"Why?"

"Well…" Ga Eul trailed and then just gave a shrug.

"Why did you stop, Ga Eul?" Ga Eul noticed that he had dropped the –yang from her name. She felt her nails against her palm as she fisted her hands. She knew she needed to do this. She stopped walking and turned to face Yi Jeong. She raised her eyes to look at his face. He was patiently waiting for her answer.

"Why did you stop?" Yi Jeong repeated.

"I stopped, because you asked me to. And so I did." Ga Eul finally answered.


	5. Chapter 04

Chapter 4

"I stopped, because you asked me to. And so I did." Ga Eul had answered.

'What?' Yi Jeong thought as he stared at Ga Eul. 'When had he told her to stop?' He scanned his memories, trying to remember if such a thing really did occur. And he came out with nothing. He remembers nothing of that sort. And the possibility of that happening was so remote he wouldn't, couldn't even entertain the thought of it.

"Ga Eul, I don't understand. I don't recall ever saying anything like that to you. When did this happen? I'm sorry. I honestly can't remember." Yi Jeong said, his words fast, showing some aspect of his disorientation to the issue. "I mean, we haven't spoken with each other, for, how long, four years? How could I--," Yi Jeong stopped short as it dawned on him. He looked at Ga Eul and saw her give another shrug as her mouth shaped into a small sad smile but her eyes, her eyes are now pooling with water.

_Crap. You're really a bastard, So Yi Jeong. _Yi Jeong berated himself. He knew he would someday reap the bitter consequences of his actions. He knew he deserved it but it was his utmost hope that it wouldn't be at Ga Eul's expense. Tough luck.

"Exactly, Yi Jeong sunbae. You had not contacted me for four years." Ga Eul gave a long and deep sigh. "Well, you do have to give me credit, though. It only took me one and a half years to take a hint and leave you alone." She added with a sad smile.

"Ga Eul-yang, it wasn't like that."

"Sunbae, believe me when I say there's no need for you to explain. I've understood, this, whatever arrangement had been between us, wasn't supposed to be held on for so long. You don't need to burden yourself anymore."

"Ga Eul, it really isn't like that. At all."

"I realized I was expecting too much. It was hurting me. Then I decided, I don't want to be hurt anymore. And that it was time to let go of you."

"Ga Eul, don't say that."

"I've loved you. I'm sure of this you knew. And it took me quite some time to let go of that dream of you, that illusion of us. That's all I wanted to say, Sunbae. I've let you go." Ga Eul said, with resounding finality. She started walking towards the stairs. She walked passed him.

"I'm in love with you, Ga Eul."

That of course stopped Ga Eul at her tracks. Her head whipped back to stare at Yi Jeong and she tried to comprehend what he had just said. How many times had she longed to hear those words from Yi Jeong. This day had been like a culmination of some sort of all her dreams and yet the acute pain that she's feeling in her body, in her heart, right now is telling her that this is all real. "Sunbae…" she started and wasn't able to continue. Because she literally had no words.

"Ga Eul, I lo--"

"Stop, sunbae. I'm really sorry. But I don't think I can do this right now. I'm sorry." Ga Eul interjected. With one last look, Ga Eul turned and left. Again.

Yi Jeong could only stare at Ga Eul's back. Again. But he understood her. She needed time. Everything that happened today must have been more than she could handle after four years of separation. He decided that he would have to give her space and time.

After a few rounds at the museum just to clear his mind a little, he left to go visit a place where three people would probably give him an earful once they find out what just happened. And I guess he could say that he needed to be told at the moment.

"He sees you for a day and he makes you cry like this?" Jandi demanded. "Oh, he is in so much trouble when I see him. What did he do, Ga Eul?"

Ga Eul told Jandi about her day with Yi Jeong in between crying, hiccupping, and blowing her nose from the time Jandi left them up until his confession. When she finished, she turned to Jandi. "That's what happened."

Silence.

"That's what happened, Jandi." Ga Eul repeated.

Silence.

Ga Eul turned to look at her best friend and found her with eyes as wide as saucers and her jaw dropping open. So the story was long. And shocking for that matter.

"Jandi-ah. Say something."

Jandi blinked. Once. Twice. "Yi Jeong sunbae did WHAT!?"

"I know. That was my first reaction, too. Well, in my mind at least. I wasn't able to be as, er, eloquent. Or to put it simply, I was speechless. Well, not just speechless. The words literally left me. You know what I mean." Ga Eul rambled.

"Come on, Ga Eul. Let's go."

"Where are we going?"

"I'm going to personally hand you to Yi Jeong sunbae."

"Yah! Jandi-ah."

Jandi laughed a little. "I'm just kidding. Sorry, Ga Eul. I couldn't help it. It was just, how can I say it, overwhelming to hear all of that."

"I know."

"But what struck me the most was that it was seemed so unlike Yi Jeong sunbae, to be grand and to be direct. When you used to tell me about him before, I would always get the feeling that he does things in very subtle ways. But how do feel about all these, Ga Eul?"

"I don't know. Well, actually I know. But it's just a rush and a mixture of all these competing emotions that it's difficult for me to sum up what I'm really feeling right now. When I saw him again for the first time today, I literally couldn't breathe for a couple of seconds. I thought I was hallucinating again. When we went to the museum, the way we were talking felt like the four years apart never happened. And I felt closer to him. And then I saw the sculpture," Ga Eul choked at her words, her tears threatening to spill again.

"I can't believe he did that himself. When I walked out on him that first time in the museum, I actually was just hiding behind one of the columns in the lobby. I saw him run towards the exit. I went back up and stared at the sculpture for who knows how long. And in an instant, for some unfathomable reason, I felt his presence. I knew he came back. And it should make me happy, that I got to say the things I've practiced for too long. But actually hearing myself say those words, I felt the pain and the loss all over again. Even if he was standing right in front of me."

"Ga Eul…"

"Jandi, do you know how it feels like to want to do two completely opposing things at the same time? On one hand, I wanted to rush to him and be in his arms. But at the same time, I also wanted to hurt him. Or maybe just let him feel even the slightest of the hurt I felt when he didn't even write to me or try to contact me in any way these past four years." Ga Eul was crying in earnest now. Jandi reached Ga Eul's side and placed an arm around her.

"When he asked if I've already found my soul mate, I was so close to answering in the positive just so that the conversation would come to an end. But in the end, I couldn't just lie to him. I feel that he would see through me. But then he said," Ga Eul voice's catching in her throat, "he told me that he was in love with me. And for one moment, I wanted to take back my words and just run to him. But I couldn't. I guess my self-preservation instincts kicked in."

"What did Yi Jeong sunbae say?"

"Nothing. He let me leave."

"What are you going to do now?"

"I don't know exactly. I don't even know how to respond to what he just confessed but what I know, and this is my honest feeling, is that I realized how much I've missed having him in my life. I still want him in it, Jandi.

"Hey guys."

Junpyo, Jihoo, and Woobin who had been playing at the pool table at the F4 Lounge lifted their heads to the direction of the voice.

"Yi Jeong" they chorused. Yi Jeong went to his friends.

"Yi Jeong, my man. When did you arrive?" Woobin asked.

"Just this morning."

"What? You've been here for almost an entire day and you didn't even tell us?" Woobin asked.

"I'm sorry guys. I needed to do something first."

"Yah, what could be more important than your friends, Yi Jeong?"

"You mean, _who _could be more important, Woobin." Junpyo said.

"Ah." The Woobin and Jihoo chorused again.

"Of course, my man. Of course. I understand." Woobin said.

"Did you get to see her today?" Jihoo asked.

"Yes."

"How did that go?"

Silence.

"That bad, huh?"

"Yi Jeong, what happened to your Casanova skills?" Junpyo asked.

"Well, I guess after four years without practice, those things can wear off." Woobin said with a laugh.

"What happened?" Jihoo asked again.

"She kept running away from me." Yi Jeong said with a small smile. "I showed her the sculpture I made of her today at the museum. I knew that it would be hard for her, with me suddenly just appearing back in her life after four years of silence. But in my sick, demented mind, I guess, I allowed myself to hope even a little, that she would forgive me and just take me back, no questions asked." He explained.

"That is sick and demented. I thought you had a plan before coming back today." Junpyo said.

"I did but then I've always known that it wouldn't be that easy. But still it made me, how do I explain it, it made me…restless…and afraid. And I think that all the fears I had back in Sweden, of her not loving me, of her forgetting, of her finally moving on, are a reality now."

"What did Ga Eul say?"

"She said she had let go of me already."

Silence.

"I'm pathetic, aren't I?" Yi Jeong asked his friends. "I wasn't able to contact her these past four years but for me to still expect her to stay the same, I mean, that's really pathetic right?" he added, his voice sad.

"Yi Jeong, we know your reasons for not contacting her all these years. Don't you think it's time that Ga Eul knows about them too?" Junpyo said.

"I just, I'm hesitant to tell her because even if I've rehearsed all that I need to say, every time I hear those words, they come to me as mere excuses, invalid excuses that aren't enough."

"But we all know how Ga Eul is like as a person. At least give her the chance to decide that for herself. Let her decide if those reasons are valid or not to her." Jihoo added.

"I think so too, Yi Jeong. You just can't decide that for her. You know from the beginning how I felt about your decision of not contacting her at all. Until now, I guess I still harbour the same view that you shouldn't have decided those four years without her. But I'm not condoning you now. We're your friends and we're here to support you." Woobin said.

"What are you planning to do now?" 

"I'll wait. I decided to give Ga Eul time and space for the moment."

"But you'll still push through?"

"Of course. I love her. I've never been surer of anything."

"That's the spirit, my man." Woobin cheered.

"Make use of your Casanova skills to get your girl." Junpyo added.

"I guess, Plan Pursue Ga Eul takes off from now." Jihoo joked.

"That's a good one, Jihoo." Woobin agreed.

Yi Jeong's spirits were somewhat lifted. He would not allow this day to break his resolve. Now is not the time to think and regret about past decisions. He's now in a mission to pursue his future. His future with Ga Eul.


	6. Chapter 05

Chapter 5

_I'm in love with you, Ga Eul._

"Teacher, teacher." Ga Eul broke away from her thoughts as she heard one of her students calling out to her. The little girl was asking help on how to go about creating something from the clay she was given. She and the kids in her class were busy doing their little masterpieces, which will be on display during the school's Family Day a week from now.

When she had finished assisting the little girl on her lady bug shaped clay, she found her thoughts straying once more to the haunting words she heard from Yi Jeong. _Haunting _would be a good word to describe those words especially what they do to her mentality. It had been almost a week now since he had returned. And still those words would not leave her mind. They were somehow ingrained in her memory; in her waking moments or before she went to sleep, when she rides the train to work or takes a bus to go to one of the photography workshops she attends. And she can't seem to do anything about it.

So she coped in the only way she knew how. She constantly kept herself busy. She thought of every way she could spend her time doing something other than think of Yi Jeong. So these past few days were spent trying to do just that in fear of finding herself drowning in the memories of last week again. Jandi knew her enough to understand the reasons behind her actions. She's grateful to Jandi for not saying anything and just letting her be for the moment. In fact, her best friend had accompanied her every single time she asked for company. They would go skating or window shopping or movie-watching.

She recalled the day after Yi Jeong's return. She was supposed to meet up with Jandi at the F4 lounge before going out. Her heart was thumping so loud, she was half-expecting other people to look at her and ask her if she was okay. She didn't know how she would react if she sees him again so soon. But he wasn't there. And she almost hit herself in the head for feeling disappointed. She wanted to see him. But at the same time, she was terrified to see him. The feeling was really disconcerting.

When she had returned home that first day, she found a bouquet of yellow irises at her doorstep. She frantically looked around before picking it up. For one second, she thought he was there. But he wasn't. Again. She found a card and she shakily opened it. It simply read: _I hope you had a wonderful day. Good night._ _Yi Jeong. _And she couldn't help but smile. It was simple and light. And in that one message, she knew that he somehow understands what she was feeling. There was no pressure. No questions. He wasn't asking her for anything at all. It was just a simple good night.

She had contemplated all through that first night whether to send a thank-you message. She had probably flipped open and close her mobile phone countless times. And she still was undecided up until the following morning on her way to school. What made her finally decide was what she found when she entered her classroom.

Bouquets and vases of flowers literally had covered half of the room. _No, he didn't._ Ga Eul thought. The smell alerted her first as it filled her nostrils the moment she opened the door. But the sight of all the colorful blooms; it was pretty and wonderful, like her own personal garden. She closed her mouth after her initial shock and couldn't help but laugh as her students played on a petal-covered floor. They were laughing and tossing the petals over their heads.

"Are these flowers all yours, teacher?" one of her students approached her.

She smiled at her student and answered, "I'm not so sure."

"The flowers are wonderful teacher." Another student approached her and another one. In short, the students all approached her declaring how much they loved their classroom filled with flowers. Their excitement was infectious, which then led to send a text message to Yi Jeong. _Thank you for the flowers, Sunbae. _Message sent.

But she decided to add another one. _But what in the world do you think you're doing? 0_o _She smiled at her last message. It was half-truth, half-joke. But somehow she could imagine Yi Jeong smiling once he receives her message. This was for causing so much unwanted attention to be focused on her.

Beep. Beep. She received a message and it was from Yi Jeong. _I'm glad you like them, Ga Eul-yang._

Beep. Beep. Another message: _Have a great day. _It was short and simple but sweet that she almost called him back. Almost.

Amidst the commotion of excited four-year-olds, were the more excited waves emanating from the door where two of her friends and co-teachers were staring wide-eyed at her room. Since then, she wasn't able to live that incident down. From that day on, she had been constantly bombarded with questions after questions about the identity of the person sending her flowers. It sure didn't help that the flowers kept on coming and pouring in the days after with personally written messages like a simple 'Good morning,' and 'Have a happy day.' They would come twice or thrice in one day. And that was just in school.

She looked at the bunch of flowers she had added in a vase today. After almost a week of the constant influx of flowers, her students seemed to have adapted quite fast and didn't seem at all surprised when they arrive every morning to find the room with more flowers. They seem to have gotten used to it. Good for them. Now, if only she could do the same. But her curiosity would not subside and she longed to ask Yi Jeong why. But fear of what she would hear somehow stopped her from demanding answers from him.

She helped another student who was trying to carve out a tree for his miniature park out of the clay. She heard knocking and she glanced towards the door to find two of her friends and co-teachers. She gently waved at them to come in.

"Ga Eul, what time does your class finish today?" Minji, a grade school teacher asked her.

"We'll be ending in about 5 minutes. Why?" Ga Eul asked.

"The principal and the school administrator called for a meeting today to discuss next week's event." Jiwon, another kindergarten teacher explained.

"Ah, is that so? Well, okay then. I'll be wrapping up today's class now. Wait for me?" Ga Eul said.

Ga Eul dismissed her class and bid goodbye to her students. After she had made sure that they were all picked up by their parents, she went to meet Minji and Jiwon.

"So, Ga Eul, how's your little garden?" Jiwon asked.

The humor was not lost to her. She jokingly rolled her eyes at her friend.

"C'mon, Ga Eul. You don't expect us to stop hovering when you aren't giving us any answers at all. Not even a clue." Minji lightly chided.

"She's right, Ga Eul. Are we not friends?" Jiwon added.

"Girls, behave." Ga Eul joked. "What can I say when there's nothing to tell?"

"Yah, Ga Eul. Don't get smart with us. It's not everyday that your room gets filled with bouquets after bouquets of fresh flowers. And you're saying that there's nothing to tell?" Jiwon demanded.

"Alright. Alright." Ga Eul seemed to accede. Her two friends smile broadly and looked at her expectantly.

"There's this guy…" Ga Eul started. Her friends seemed to perk up their ears towards her.

"The end." Ga Eul promptly finished. She smiled broadly and proceeded to walk fast towards the auditorium where the meeting would be held, leaving her two friends behind with jaws dropping in indignation.

"Yah. Chu Ga Eul. You're never going to hear the end of this from us. Not until you tell us all about him." Jiwon shouted after her.

"We're not to be taken lightly when it comes to fishing for information. I know we'll find out soon enough. Your admirer can't stay faceless and nameless for long." Minji added.

_I love you. _Yi Jeong wanted to write those words in the card to be delivered with a new bunch of flowers for Ga Eul. But he knows it's much too soon to say those words again and he didn't want to pressure Ga Eul into anything. Besides, doing so would go against his current creed to give her time and space. So instead he wrote a simple message, much like those he had previously written: _Sweet dreams._ He smiled as he imagined her sleeping peacefully. He guessed it wouldn't hurt if he adds a wish that she'll dream of him. _Yah, Yi Jeong. Look at yourself. The Casanova is being reduced to a day dreaming boy._ Yi Jeong thought to himself.

"Yi Jeong, why is it that every time we would come see you, you're smiling to yourself like an idiot?" Woobin's voice interrupted Yi Jeong's thoughts.

"Yah!" Yi Jeong lightly berated. Jihoo and Junpyo laughed.

"But it's good to see you in high spirits lately since the day you came back." Jihoo said.

"How's your Plan Pursue Ga Eul holding up?" Woobin inquired.

"He's still in the flower-sending stage." Junpyo offered. "Have you seen Ga Eul's classroom? It's like a garden with a classroom when it's supposed to be the other way around."

Yi Jeong's eyes went to Junpyo. "How did you know about that?" he asked.

"Jandi showed me a picture she captured on her phone. Yah, I didn't know you were the flowers-type of suitor, Yi Jeong. In all the years I've known you, I haven't once seen you give a girl a bouquet, let alone a flower."

"Idiot, who's hooked." Woobin reminded his friends, gesturing at Yi Jeong.

Yi Jeong slapped Woobin's pointing finger and said, "Cut me some slack, will you? This is all new to me, as if you didn't know already. I've never tried pursuing a girl before. Try doing it sometime Woobin, then let's talk."

"I guess, you need a different approach when it comes to Ga Eul." Jihoo consented.

"Too bad your Casanova skills can't help you now." Junpyo said with a smile.

"Please, I can still use some of my Casanova moves. And don't forget my killer smile." Yi Jeong joked, before flashing his set of white, perfect teeth. Three sets of eyes rolled at his statement.

"You're really nervous about all these, aren't you?" Jihoo asked intuitively.

"You can't even begin to imagine." Yi Jeong answered immediately. Enough said.

The next day, as much as Yi Jeong would have liked to spend more time planning the ways to woo Ga Eul, he was unfortunately swamped with work. He had held 5 meetings and attended two events and it wasn't even six in the evening. Yi Jeong checked the wall clock in his office on the top floor of the So Museum.

He had assumed control and supervision over his family's pottery business and the full operation of the museum the day he came back. And four years is a long time to be away from the business that had been as much part of his life as was his grandparents and parents constant business trainings and art sessions all throughout his growing-up days.

He switched on his laptop, stared at the wallpaper and smiled. It was a picture of Ga Eul, the first time she received his flowers. He remembered that night and how he had felt slightly guilty for spying on her. He had felt like a stalker when he had to duck his head when Ga Eul looked around, probably curious to see whom the flowers might have come from. He had anticipated her reaction to the card but much to his relief; she had smiled and proceeded to smell the blooms. He didn't know what compelled him to take a picture; maybe it was because he hadn't seen her for the whole day or he was simply too far gone but he wasn't able to help himself and took a picture of that moment anyway. And besides, he had no plans of revealing any of these to anyone, let alone his best friends who he was pretty sure would not let him live this down.

And now, he had no inclination whatsoever to regret it. It was worth it; capturing Ga Eul at that moment. Not only did it extremely please him but it had given him a tinge of hope that maybe things can still work out for them. One look at her image, and mushy as it may sound, he instantly felt better.

He reached for the stack of files for his attention on the other side of his desk. _Might as well get things done while I still feel energized today._ Yi Jeong thought. Acquisitions, new artists exhibits, and invitation to events; one by one Yi Jeong attends to the files, scribbles some marginal notes, takes notes of the events he would attend and those he would delegate to the other officers. He was down to the last two files and when he glanced at the clock, he was surprised to find that it was close to ten in the evening. He took the next file and read through it. This one was a request as much as an invitation from a school administrator for him to attend their school event to be held a few days from today. The letter was also inviting him to hold a demonstration about pottery for the students.

Yi Jeong placed the folder back on his table, reclined back on his chair, closed his eyes and grinned like an idiot. He must have done something good for the heavens to give him so soon a chance to execute his plans. He didn't have to look a second time to remember the name of the school. He could pick the name even in his sleep.

Because it's the school where Ga Eul teaches at.

And it's the school he will be going to next week for a demo for the kids.

And he can hardly wait.

_I'll see you, Ga Eul-yang._ Yi Jeong thought happily.


	7. Chapter 06

Chapter 6

Ga Eul is loving this day already. She had just entered the school grounds and excitement is palpable in the air. She saw people arriving with their families or friends. Even couples have come to attend today's event. Some of the students were still running around, making final preparations for their booths or practicing their routines for the program.

There is still two hours before the Family Day Celebration officially opens and already the school ground is alive with all kinds of activities. She went up to the auditorium where the teachers will be having a final meeting before dispersing to make the final preparations needed for the day. When she entered the room, the meeting had just started. She saw Minji and Jiwon waving at her and she went to sit with them just as the Principal was introducing the agenda.

"There have been last-minute additions to today's events. As we have discussed earlier, I am now happy to inform you that the guests we have invited have confirmed their attendance and will be joining us today." The Principal announced. Cheers and claps were heard in the room.

"Wow, they really got the invitees to attend, didn't they?" Minji asked.

"What invitees?" Jiwon questioned.

"Silly. Don't you remember? Somebody suggested that we invite guests for live demonstrations to be included in the program," Minji answered.

"I don't remember." Jiwon mused.

"Me too." Ga Eul added.

"Ah, that's because you were on leave that day, Ga Eul and I forgot to tell you about it Sorry." Minji answered, smiling apologetically. "As for you," she added, turning to Jiwon, "do you even remember anything from these kinds of meetings?"

"Point taken, Minji." Jiwon said.

"So, before I call on our guests, may I please call to the front those who would be in charged of each demonstration?" The principal announced.

"Ah," Minji started, "that would be you, Ga Eul. I forgot to mention that minor detail, too."

"Minor?" Ga Eul hissed. "Is this what you would call a _minor_ detail?"

"Well, all you have to do is assist the guest, make sure everything is in order, that kind of stuff. You're an expert on that Ga Eul."

Ga Eul looked back pointedly at Minji.

"I'm really sorry, Ga Eul. But since it never came up again during the meetings I forgot about it, thinking that it wouldn't push through. But at least I got to tell you now." Minji said.

"Right. Now, as in the actual date of the event." Ga Eul sighed and walked towards the front.

"Okay, now that we have our staffs-in-charge, who I believe still remembers their duties," the principal started. Ga Eul glared at Minji who mouthed back to her, 'I'm really sorry. I'll make it up to you. I promise.'

"I'd like to make a brief introduction of our guests. We have arranged three demonstrations for today: dance, music, and art. And it is a pleasure for me to welcome our three distinguished guests for today, Lee Hana, Dong Hyun and So Yi Jeong. Please join us on stage." The Principal said and clapping ensued in the room.

Ga Eul was still trying to read Minji's lips when she heard the last name.

So Yi Jeong, the principal had said.

Her head whipped to the left to look at the principal. Did she just hear him right? Did he just say So Yi Jeong? So Yi Jeong?! The principal was looking to the right side of the stage and she slowly turned towards that direction.

Ga Eul could not believe her eyes. Climbing up the short set of stairs was Yi Jeong, donned not in his trademark suit but in casual clothing. It brought back memories of the day they painted and redesigned Jandi's apartment all those years ago. She heard the sighs all around the room when Yi Jeong finally stepped on the stage. She can't deny that Yi Jeong has one of the most handsome faces in the whole world. Well, okay she was biased. But then, it's moments like this that she realizes the pull he has on members of the opposite sex. Because to her, he had never been 'So Yi Jeong, the heartthrob', he had simply been 'So Yi Jeong, the man she loved'.

When she raised her eyes to his, she caught him already looking straight at her and sporting his familiar grin. She furrowed her brows a bit but to no effect. He was still smiling when he whispered, "Ga Eul-yang" softly as he passed her to shake hands with the principal. To say that she was caught surprised would be an understatement. Actually, her first thoughts were along the lines of '_No way. No freaking way._'

She modestly looked around to see if anyone noticed Yi Jeong whispering to her. And she mentally sighed to find no one looking suspiciously at her. Of course. All eyes were glued to the guests who just arrived, more so on the last one.

The meeting was adjourned and she couldn't believe what fate had brought in today. Well, more like who the cat dragged in. Apparently since her kids were the ones who worked on clay, she was assigned to assist Yi Jeong. '_Isn't that just great.' _Ga Eul thought. The principal was calling her name and even before she turned around she knew that Yi Jeong was there.

"Ga Eul, this is So Yi Jeong. He has graciously accepted our invitation so he'll be doing a demonstration for your students and for an audience. I'd like you to take good care of him and please assist him in whatever needs he may have. I'll leave you two for now." The Principal said, and turning to Yi Jeong, added, "Thank you again for today Mr. So. In behalf of the whole school, I would like to express our deep appreciation for this. And if you have any questions or if there's anything you need, please contact me or just ask Ms. Ga Eul here. Well then, enjoy the rest of the day." And the Principal took his leave and left the two in silence.

Ga Eul was in a dilemma in choosing whether this day turned out for the better or for the worse. She was glad that her kids would get to watch a clay molding demo from Yi Jeong. He is, after all, one of the best in the country. But at the same time, she faintly feels trapped in a situation she's not sure she wanted to be in.

"Yi Jeong sunbae. What are you doing here?" Ga Eul was the first to speak.

"Well, hello to you too, Ga Eul-yang." Yi Jeong replied. "I thought that that was already made clear by the Principal," he added.

"Don't get smart with me, Sunbae."

"Why? I really am here for the demonstration." Yi Jeong defended. "Wait," he paused, "you are not thinking that I'm here because of you, are you?" he teased.

Ga Eul was a little flustered at the insinuation. "Why, you-" But Yi Jeong's next words stopped hers.

"Because I am. Too." Then he smirks at her. And before she could retort a comeback she saw Minji and Jiwon walking towards them, their faces filled with unrestrained admiration as they stared at Yi Jeong and then shifting to curious but sly smiles as they met her eyes. _Oh no. This is not good. This is not good at all, _Ga Eul sighed mentally.

"Ga Eul." A voice called out from the now dispersing audience.

Yi Jeong found the source of the voice approaching them. He figured the two women coming towards them are Ga Eul's friends here in school. He couldn't help but notice their admiring stares directed at him and the questioning looks they both gave Ga Eul. He smiled inwardly finding some humor in Ga Eul's unmistakable frustration not because he enjoys the dilemma she's currently facing but because he just finds her too adorable for her own good. He would bet Ga Eul didn't tell anybody that he was the one who's sending her all those flowers.

"Ga Eul, see what good this does for you." Yi Jeong heard one of the women whisper to Ga Eul. Then immediately turned her attention to him.

"So Yi Jeong. It's a pleasure to finally meet you. I'm Lee Minji and I'm a fan of your work." Yi Jeong greeted her and the other woman who introduced herself as Park Jiwon back. They both thanked him for choosing their school for the demonstration and assured him that they will be joining the audience who will watch his demonstration.

"Ga Eul. You have to take good care of So Yi Jeong, all right?" Minji said.

"Yi Jeong, I assure you that Ga Eul will assist you in everything you need. She's a very capable person and she seems to really enjoy your kind of art. Her kids are the ones who will be joining you for the demonstration." Jiwon explained.

Yi Jeong took in that information. Talk about sheer good fortune. He accepted the invitation especially because this is where Ga Eul teaches. Then Ga Eul gets assigned by the principal to assist him for today. And then this. He was now smiling broadly, unable to keep in his pleasure in learning that she still enjoys pottery and is teaching her students how to do it. Fate must be very pleased with him lately since he's getting all these chances. _Don't blow it, Yi Jeong._ He reminded himself.

"Ah, is that so." Yi Jeong answered, turning to look directly at Ga Eul. "I can't wait to meet them."

Ga Eul and Yi Jeong are now alone, walking along the corridor in the first floor to the room where the clay demonstration would be held not more than thirty minutes from now. Like all the surprises that came today, Ga Eul was surprised that they were walking in comfortable silence.

She has recovered from her initial shock and in some way, horror, at seeing Yi Jeong at her school. She was glad that Yi Jeong gave no indication of having met her before but the looks Minji and Jiwon gave her before they left the auditorium were just begging for details. She feels sorry about not telling them but at this moment she still wasn't ready to disclose it. It would have been easier had he not send her all those flowers. If he hadn't, she would have just gladly introduced him as an old friend. If or when her friends find out about Yi Jeong, well, she'd worry when it happens.

She took a side glance at the object of her dilemma and found herself wondering how he could look so casual and relaxed beside her as if nothing at all is wrong in the world.

"Ga Eul-yang, are you disappointed?" The sudden question caught her by surprise and she was brought back from her musings. Her eyes immediately went to Yi Jeong's face and found him staring at her. Flustered, she immediately turned her head forward, avoiding his inquisitive eyes, and thought about how to answer and she blurted the first thing that came to mind.

"Disappointed with what?" Ga Eul asked, feigning ignorance.

"Are you disappointed that I'm here now?" Yi Jeong elaborated.

"If I say that I am, would you leave?"

"No. But, do you want me to leave?"

Ga Eul took the chance and looked at Yi Jeong again. He was still looking at her, quite intently and she noticed that a crease has formed in his forehead. He seemed pretty anxious about her answer and she could not help but smile a little, wondering how this man, who she'd known to have mastered the skills in hiding his feelings are now letting himself show this much on his face just because of a simple question.

"I'm not disappointed, sunbae. Just surprised." Ga Eul finally answered, noticing that his eyebrows relaxed a bit at her words. "And I'm not asking you to leave." She added, pleased a little with the fact that his face has now completely relaxed. She noticed a small smile too.

Ga Eul heard him sigh. "I'm happy to hear you say that." A smile broke across his face and Ga Eul had to tell herself to look away because it was, to describe it, too bright for her. She was glad because at that moment they already reached the demo room so she clearly had an excuse to change the subject.

"We're here, sunbae. I think the school has already brought in all the materials you would need. But if there are still some that aren't here, just tell me." Ga Eul offered.

The two of them entered the room which is brightly lit through the rows of windows. The morning light illuminated the room even more, giving off a very warm atmosphere. Ga Eul liked the ambience and knew that her kids would enjoy doing pottery with Yi Jeong here. She could not help but notice the irony of this whole situation. There she was, at the school where she teaches, standing in a room with Yi Jeong, waiting for her students to arrive so they could all start a demo on pottery. One reason she was so dedicated to her students was because they had been a sort of lifeline for her, especially during her earlier teaching days when she used to drown herself with thoughts of Yi Jeong. She had felt compelled to make it up to them for her sometimes neglectful attitude. Talk about putting the past and the present in the same room at the same time. Ga Eul didn't know if she was going to be overwhelmed.

"So, what do you think Sunbae? Is this place alright for your demo?" Ga Eul asked, after surveying the room.

"I think this will be great, Ga Eul-yang. I feeling kind of excited. To tell you the truth this is just, I think, my second or third time doing a demo. And this is my first time with children. I am sort of feeling a little bit nervous." Yi Jeong admitted. Ga Eul smiled at that. Yi Jeong, nervous? She wouldn't have thought of it.

"I'm sure you'll do great, Sunbae. And besides, my students are pretty awesome." Ga Eul said proudly.

"Is that right?"

"Absolutely. From whom else could they have learned from?"

Yi Jeong laughed out loud at that. "You've grown pretty proud of yourself, if I may say so, Ga Eul-yang."

"It's not a matter of pride, Sunbae. It's a matter of confidence. And I happen to be very confident when it comes to my students." Ga Eul replied in an irritated tone but followed it with a smile to get the joke across.

For the next twenty minutes, the two of them made minor adjustments to the room's layout and fixed the materials to be used by the students. They worked in comfortable silence with the occasional light conversation.

Yi Jeong could not help but steal glances at the woman alone in the room with him for the moment. Her face was much brighter than from their last meeting. He had to congratulate himself for going with his plan to approach things slowly and to keep things light, at least in these early stages so that Ga Eul won't feel too pressured with him.

Sometimes, when he would look her way, he would catch her looking at him too. And as familiar as that of before, she would avert her eyes immediately and turn her face away in embarrassment. He swore he saw her smile before she turned away but then again that may be just his imagination going into overdrive, created by his eager mind because he himself was smiling like a smitten idiot. That is, when she wasn't looking.

At five minutes before the demo's scheduled time, Yi Jeong could hear sounds of commotion coming towards the room. 'Those must be the kids.' He thought. A moment after, eight kids came running in the room, their excited chattering voices competing with each other. Upon their entrance, they scanned the room and when their eyes fell on Ga Eul, they rushed to her side immediately.

Yi Jeong wasn't prepared for the onslaught of feelings that came over him at seeing this: Ga Eul surrounded with happy kids. For one moment, a faraway thought entered his mind. Is this what she'd look like if she's surrounded by their own kids? And with that thought, a lump formed in this throat and he was finding it difficult to swallow. The thought was so unbidden; it froze his smile in place. He brushed it off his mind, not welcoming that kind of distraction at this stage of his plan. He figured he'll have more chances to sort out those thoughts some other time. He convinced himself to enjoy this moment. His smile spread widely on his lips as he continued to watch Ga Eul welcoming her students, directing them to their seats and explaining what will happen in the demo.

"There's no smile like yours, Ga Eul-yang." Yi Jeong whispered to himself as he watched them. The kids were followed by their parents who had also gathered around Ga Eul. There was no doubt she was loved by these people. He was happy that he was able to share these kinds of moments with her even from a distance.

One by one, the audience seats were filled up and soon the room was buzzing with excited people of various age groups. There were even people lining up at the corridor, watching though the half-glassed walls. Yi Jeong began to dress up for his demo, wearing his apron and placing a band on his forehead so his hair would not cover his eyes. He planned to conduct the demo in three parts: first is the start-up demo where he would demonstrate what the kids would be doing, second is when the kids actually make their own clay pieces, and for the finale, he'll make a special piece which he plans to give to the school as a token. He glanced around the room again. Everyone was smiling. Yi Jeong was already enjoying this demo even before it began. He found himself becoming happier by the minute and as he glanced Ga Eul's way, he wanted to make this day a good memory for her as well.


	8. Chapter 07

Chapter 7

It didn't surprise Ga Eul that the demo room was overflowing with people eager to watch Yi Jeong. After all, his fame was not just confined to his being an art genius. He was famous, or rather infamous for other non-artistic things as well, especially when it comes to his personal life. He _is_ the F4 Casanova. Seeing that he had been gone for four years, in a way, Ga Eul could understand why everybody was curious as to what he's been up to these past few years.

The female population seems to be in full force that day, a majority of which had the sole purpose of catching a glimpse of the infamous playboy. Ga Eul smiled wistfully. She then wondered if Yi Jeong had continued his playboy ways in Sweden and her mood dropped by a notch. She didn't have the courage to ask the other F3 or Jandi about it before, let alone now. She had figured then that if he had wanted her to know how he was doing, he would have contacted her himself. Day after day and week after week, until the months turned into years, she had waited for something that never came.

Ga Eul shook her head slightly to disperse such somber thoughts. 'Now is not the time to think about the past, Ga Eul.' She told herself. She looked up at Yi Jeong, standing in front of the crowd getting ready for his demo. His outfit reminded her of the very first time she saw him doing pottery. She remembered thinking that he was art itself; perfection, so to speak. She couldn't stop staring then. To put it bluntly, she was mesmerized by the sight of him.

At that moment, Yi Jeong lifted his face and their eyes met. He smiled at her and she smiled back, albeit a little weakly. She slowly averted her face because she found out that even after all these years; he still has the power to mesmerize her. _Shoot. Get a hold of yourself, Ga Eul_, she thought.

Ga Eul proceeded to the front when she saw the audience has already settled down.

"Ready when you are, Sunbae." She said.

"Let's get this show on the road, Ga Eul-yang."

The demonstration flowed smoothly from one part to the next as Yi Jeong had planned. Yi Jeong taught the children the basics on how to make simple tea cups and dishes. He offered one-on-one, hands-on help to each student which all the kids truly enjoyed if the wide grins on their faces were any indication. Ga Eul, on the other hand, assisted her students as much as she could.

"Teacher," one of the children called. Ga Eul turned to look and was surprised that her student was not looking at her at all. "Teacher Yi Jeong," she called again. This would have been just an ordinary situation but because Ga Eul saw how Yi Jeong was stopped in his tracks by that one remark, it became such a cute and endearing one. His face registered at least three different expressions in a span of a couple of seconds. She could not help but laugh out loud. Yi Jeong looked up at her when he heard her and finally registers a smile after recovering from his surprise. Yi Jeong then approached the student.

"Teacher, is this the right way to do it?" the student named Jun, asked.

"Well, is this how you want to shape your dish?" Yi Jeong inquired softly.

"I want to shape it like a flower."

"That's an interesting choice. Are flowers your favorite?"

"Yes, because flowers remind me of Teacher Ga Eul. Our classroom is always filled with flowers. Everyday." He explained.

And for what seemed like the nth time that day, Yi Jeong's and Ga Eul's eyes met across the room, their smiles hinting at their shared little secret. Ga Eul looked away first. She glanced at the audience and immediately saw Minji and Jiwon looking a bit perplexed. And a bit suspicious? Her smiled faltered a little but she regained her composure and waved at them.

"Ah, is that true? Does Teacher Ga Eul like the flowers?" Yi Jeong asked.

"Hmm, Yes." The kid exclaimed. "We always see her smelling flowers when we come to class in the morning." He added.

Yi Jeong glanced again at Ga Eul who was waving at the audience at that moment. He was thankful that part of his plan was working.

The demo continued into the afternoon. Yi Jeong was pleasantly surprised that he enjoyed teaching the little kids. As selfish as it might sound, he really did accept the invitation because of one reason alone. And that was Ga Eul. The demonstration to the kids was only secondary and his initial thought was that the experience would be interesting. But now he truly enjoyed it.

He took notice of the differences between demonstrating for kids and for grown-ups. What he appreciated the most with the kids was their attention and their genuine interest in learning to do clay. He found it very refreshing. And the funny thing about it all was that the art pieces they made were in one way or another related to Ga Eul: flowers, congee bowl (because Ga Eul makes congee when her kids are sick), lettuce design (because Ga Eul and the kids made a lettuce costume for a school play), a camera design (because Ga Eul loves to take pictures). He had to admit that the kids were smart enough to realize that they have a great person in their life, even at such young ages. Now, if only he had been that smart all those years ago to have realized the place Ga Eul held in his heart. But that was then and this is now, Yi Jeong resolved. He's changed and now he knows what he really wants or simply what he had really wanted all this time.

The last part of the session was a personal demonstration from him. Yi Jeong was thinking of a perfect subject for his piece, which he had already decided he would donate to the school as a token of his appreciation for their invitation. And when he saw all the kids gather around Ga Eul when they arrived, he knew he had the perfect image for his piece.

After the demonstration, everyone seemed to flock towards him for pictures, especially the ladies. He indulged some of them but, to his surprise, Ga Eul was able to request from them a little privacy for him as he was an invited guest for the event. The audience acquiesced after some time and filed out of the room albeit unwillingly.

"Still can't get them away from you, sunbae?" Ga Eul teased as they arranged the pottery work of the kids.

"My curse." Yi Jeong teased back. Ga Eul laughed.

"You're so full of yourself, sunbae."

"But you're the one who said it."

"Ahem."

Yi Jeong and Ga Eul turned to their backs at the sound, their smiles still on their faces. Ga Eul's however dipped down a little as she realized the voice belonged to Minji, who was with Jiwon and the kids.

"Are we interrupting anything, Ga Eul?" Minji asked innocently.

"Of course not." Ga Eul replied. "We were just arranging the kids' works, which are by the way, the best I've seen." Ga Eul's voice turned soft as she addressed her students. "Come here, you guys. Great job." And with that, all her kids flocked around her and gave her a group hug.

"Thank you, teacher," the children chorused.

Ga Eul laughed as she saw the smiling faces of her kids. She looked up to Yi Jeong who was smiling as well. "Is there someone else you should be saying thank you to?" Ga Eul hinted and inclined her head a little towards Yi Jeong. Taking the hint, the kids began to flock now to Yi Jeong.

"Thank you, teacher Yi Jeong." One of the kids said as he approached Yi Jeong. The other kids followed suit, thanking Yi Jeong for teaching them. And being kids, once they start talking, it was hard to make them stop. The kids began to share what they liked about the art demonstration. All at the same time.

Ga Eul could not help but laugh as Yi Jeong tried his earnest to answer all the questions and comments from the kids. It was really good to see Yi Jeong smile in a carefree manner. Ga Eul could not help but take out her camera and just capture this happy moment. At the sound of the click, everyone turned their eyes on her. For just a moment. And then the kids went back to talking to Yi Jeong. Even Minji and Jiwon joined in as they gave praises after praises to Yi Jeong. Ten minutes later, everyone was winding down their stories when one of the little girls came up to him and gave him a hug.

"Thank you again, Teacher Yi Jeong. We had such a fun time today." She said. The chorus of thank you's begun as the kids, one by one, came up to Yi Jeong to give him a hug. In the end, the kids and Yi Jeong were all together in a group hug, which earned them another 'click' from Ga Eul's camera.

This time, only Yi Jeong turned to her at the sound of the camera.

"Don't I get a thank-you hug from the teacher as well?" Yi Jeong asked, grinning straight at Ga Eul.

Ga Eul was lowering her camera when Yi Jeong's words registered to her. Her hand momentarily suspended as her mind screamed, _Sunbae, what are you saying?_ Her eyes went first to Yi Jeong and then to Minji and Jiwon, who are now looking back and forth at the two of them.

As soon as he heard his words, Yi Jeong realized his mistake and glanced warily at Minji and Jiwon, who were glancing back at them.

"I mean, don't I get a thank-you hug from the teachers?" he asked pointedly, trying to cover his slip. He looked directly at Ga Eul's co-teachers, flashing them a smile. You'll know what star-struck women look like when you see Minji and Jiwon at that moment. Curiosity forgotten, they obliged with Yi Jeong's request and went up to him as well. They motioned for Ga Eul to join in as well. And since everybody was now waiting for her, she had no choice but to join in.

"You really enjoy teaching, don't you Ga Eul-yang?"

"I do."

Ga Eul glanced sideways at Yi Jeong, who was now walking beside her. His demonstration was finished and the kids have gone with their parents to enjoy the rest of the day together. After they tidied up the room, she tried to sneak away from him but failed miserably. The moment she thought it, he was by her side the next and had been there since. 'So much for a quick exit', she remembered thinking.

She was planning to look around the different booths and take pictures. Alone. But apparently, Yi Jeong was still able to disrupt her plans. So now, there they were, walking side by side, visiting booth after booth. She wanted to slap herself because she felt like they were high school sweethearts enjoying a school fair. Well, actually, she did slap herself on the side of her head once and instead of giving her a weird look, Yi Jeong looked at her as if he knew exactly why she did it.

Minji and Jiwon were no help at all. Now, she didn't know which was worse: them knowing about her history with Yi Jeong or them trying to play cupids with their blatantly obvious matchmaking plan. She almost begged her friends to come with them but they strongly declined, making up excuses that was so absurd, she would have laughed if the she wasn't in that situation. She recalled Minji's whispered advice to her before they separated, 'This is your big chance, Ga Eul. So Yi Jeong is such a great catch.' Isn't that just great. If they only knew. She had taken that chance before and looked where it brought her.

"Ga Eul-yang, thank you for helping me out today during the demonstration." Yi Jeong's voice brought her out of her reverie.

"You're welcome, sunbae. I want to thank you, too, for teaching my kids. I really think they had a great time today."

"Ms. Chu." They both turned at the sound of the voice. It came from a high school guy who was manning a game booth.

"Ms. Chu, why don't you try our booth? The prizes are nice and they suit you well, simple but pretty." The guy said.

"You don't have to sing me false praises, Go Soo." Ga Eul joked back. "Since I'm a teacher, I'd like to support all the booths today, so I'll give yours a try." She turned to Yi Jeong and asked, "Are you game, sunbae?"

"You bet, I am." Ga Eul chuckled. They both approach the booth.

"Okay, what do we have to do?"

"Kiss."

Silence.

"What?" she exclaimed.

"What?" she heard Yi Jung exclaimed too.

"Ms. Chu, our booth is a kissing booth. If you sign up for a number of minutes, we'll give you a prize. You can just try the one with the shortest time 15 minutes top. And don't worry. It will only be on the cheeks." Go Soo explained.

"Ah, is that so?" Ga Eul started, thinking of some excuse to the kids. "Ah, I think I would be of little help to your booth."

"That's not true, Ms Chu. I for one would know a couple of people who'd line up for you." One of Go Soo's classmates interjected, placing a hand on Go Soo's shoulders. "Isn't that right, Go Soo?"

"Ah, right. Of course. They're absolutely right. Please help us, Ms. Chu."

Ga Eul looked at the high school students. "All right, fine. But just for 15 minutes, okay?"

"You're the best, Ms. Chu."

Never in a hundred years would Yi Jeong think he would be in this kind of situation in all his life. Never. But trust it to be Ga Eul who could change the dynamics of his life.

So there he was, sitting opposite Ga Eul, participating at a kissing booth, during a school fair. If he wasn't the actual one in the situation, he would have laughed out loud.

After the demonstration that morning, his eyes had immediately sought her familiar face. Thankfully, he caught her just as she was about to sneak out of the room. Sly girl – trying to get away from him. Of course, that's something he can't allow. He had smiled to himself when he caught the look on her face as she realized her failure of a plan. She even attempted to persuade her co-teachers to come with them but fate had once again smiled upon him. He figured they were trying to play matchmaking for Ga Eul and he was not complaining. She hadn't been able to leave him for the rest of the afternoon.

He enjoyed watching her skip excitedly from one booth to another, her genuine appreciation for the hard work of the students was not only inspiring for them but infectious for him as well. And he smiled widely as he she took pictures after pictures. Of everything. Apparently, her love for photography and pictures had not wavered. He recalled their trip to Caledonia and how he also observed her taking tons of pictures. He was happy that at least some things never change: including the fact that strange and unexpected things seem to happen whenever he was with her.

For instance, his current predicament now. When he first heard the high school guy calling Ga Eul, he was intrigued when he immediately realized that the kid was harboring a crush on her. How did he know? It was painfully obvious but Ga Eul being Ga Eul, he bet she didn't even notice. He felt a little bit of pity for the kid because there's no chance of them ever being together. Not that that was even a remote possibility. All he's saying is that nothing of this sort can ever happen, not when he's around. But now he's suddenly feeling a little bit of pity towards himself for being jealous of a high school kid. _'Real smooth, Casanova.'_ He though.

To hear them inviting Ga Eul to participate in a kissing booth and then hear her say yes: he was speechless for a moment. He didn't think she would accept. But knowing her, she probably did just to help the kids. It's as simple as that to her. So to see guys line up for her was, as he had predicted, a shock to her. He had the sudden urge to just hug her for not even noticing her own charms. And then take her away so she wouldn't kiss a bunch of strangers, in front of him, no less.

Ga Eul watched as girls after girls continue to line up for Yi Jeong. She was able to make him say yes, after much persuasion and a little bit of blackmail. He did say he was up for anything. But she knew he'd bring in all the big bucks and that would be great for the kids. He's So Yi Jeong after all. She couldn't help but smile every once in a while when she would look his way and catch one of those friendly but albeit a bit forced smiles. For some reason, he was not enjoying the task of kissing girls, which she found surprising. But what was unsettling was the pleasure she felt knowing he's not enjoying the task.

The fifteen minutes was almost over and there were only three guys left in her line. On the other hand, there still seems to be about ten on Yi Jeong's line. Go Soo and his classmates, with much regret, had to stop selling the stubs to girls because of the time limit. Their faces were telling of their disappointment of having just contracted only 15 minutes of his time.

"Thank you for helping us out like this, Ms. Chu." Go Soo said, approaching her.

"No problem, Go Soo. Keep up the good work and I hope your booth continues to succeed. My time's up now, right?" Ga Eul replied.

"Well, not exactly."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, we still have one more person left who hasn't submitted his stub."

"Oh. Did he leave or something?" Ga Eul asked.

"Not exactly." Go Soo said.

"Ga Eul-yang." Ga Eul looked up and saw Yi Jeong walking towards her. "I'm all done. Are you?"

"Not exactly." Ga Eul echoed Go Soo's reply. "Go Soo says there's still one person who paid the stub but hasn't arrived yet."

"Oh, you mean this one?" Yi Jeong said. Blood drained from Ga Eul's face as she looked at the red stub between Yi Jeong's fingers.

"Here you go, Go Soo."

And then blood came rushing in again as she watch Yi Jeong sit beside her and offer his cheek to her.

"Is this some kind of a joke, sunbae? Because, if it is, I…" Ga Eul started.

"Never." Yi Jeong immediately interjected.

It was a decision based on instinct so he could argue that he really didn't put much thought in it. Sometime in between those fifteen minutes, he was able to motion for Go Soo and asked to buy a stub. The look on the kid's face was amusing: there was shock and then gradual realization.

"Here you go, Mr. So. Good luck." Go Soo had said accompanied by a knowing smile.

"Oh, you mean this one?" he said, holding up the stub between his fingers. He noticed that Ga Eul's face had turned white as she saw what was in his hands. He was a little bit apologetic towards Ga Eul about surprising her like this. But oh, well. All's fair in love and war.

"Is this some kind of a joke, sunbae? Because if it is, I..."

"Never." He replied and then motioned his cheek towards her.

Ga Eul was now noticeably squirming in her seat. Her eyes scanned the crowd and were filled with obvious embarrassment when she noticed a small group of people had formed around the booth. And then she turned them on him, thinning slightly with disapproval.

"You are in so much trouble now, sunbae." Ga Eul whispered menacingly to him.

He just nodded, all the time grinning.

"You do know that you are so dead, right?" Ga Eul threatened.

"Absolutely. Now, if you please…" Yi Jeong prodded.

He heard her sigh in resignation. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw her slowly approaching face. He felt soft lips against his cheek and he closed his eyes instinctively. But the next moment, it was gone. Damn it, he inwardly cursed. That was just too fast. And then he felt fingers on his cheek and immediately looked up at Ga Eul.

"There, there now, sunbae." Ga Eul said, tapping at his cheek. He couldn't believe how well she was taking this situation. But then the pain came. She had pinched his cheek and to say that it hurt was an understatement. Not that he has low tolerance for pain. Please, he had been away from her for more than four years. But the pinch came suddenly, when he wasn't expecting it at all.

"Ow." He rubbed his cheek. When he looked up at her again, he saw a smug look on her face.

"You did not just pinch me on the cheek, Ga Eul-yang."

"Oh, but I did, sunbae." She replied, believing she had put one over him.

"Okay."

"Okay?"

"Yup. I guess I deserved that in a way."

"You sure do." Ga Eul replied, feigning indignation. But he noticed that she was now smiling and her eyes are now filled with amusement.

"But it was worth it." He added.

"Whatever, sunbae." Ga Eul joked, trying to dismiss the subject with a wave of her hand.

'It was, Ga Eul.' He added in his mind. He had wanted to turn his head towards her but somehow he knew she wouldn't have been so thrilled about that. So he figured this was more than enough. At least for now.


	9. Chapter 08

Chapter 8

Ga Eul let her bag drop on the floor of her bedroom. She was drained, both physically and emotionally. But she was also happy; happier than she had been in a long time. Not that she wasn't happy before. It was like she felt once again, a familiar brand of happiness. She should feel indignant and wary because the cause of her happiness happens to have been the cause of her pain too. But right now, it's not a dichotomy at all. It was just that one person. So Yi Jeong. One day. A mere one day and she felt like she was slowly coming undone. 'Great. Just great.' She thought.

She laid down on her bed, arms spread by her side; her eyes on the ceiling. She could barely comprehend what had happened during these past couple of days. It all started when Yi Jeong did the art demo during the school's family day. Whether it went downhill or uphill from there is something that she could not longer decide at that moment.

She had enjoyed that day immensely and the memories that won't leave her mind were that of her students' smiles and the incident at the kissing booth. She was pleased watching the kids enjoy their special art class. On the other hand, her mind had gone blank for a couple of seconds at the kissing booth when she saw that stub in Yi Jeong's hands. She realized that in effect, Yi Jeong was asking for her kiss when he had bought it. That whole episode was surreal. She was either naïve or crazy every time an unbidden image of that came into mind and she couldn't help but blush. She was thankful she was still able to act normal for the rest of the afternoon.

Today, she saw him again at school. He dropped by her classroom in the morning carrying two boxes. For one moment she thought the boxes contained flowers and that he had decided to reveal himself in front of her class but to her relief he had said the boxes contained two art pieces: one as token of his appreciation to the school for the invitation and the other one as a gift to her kids, a kind of souvenir of the other day.

She had watched the kids' eyes fill with anticipation and then grow wide as they settled on Yi Jeong's art gift. Her eyes went wide as well when she saw a big rectangular dish with a design that pictured her engulfed in the kids' embrace.

"Sunbae…" she had uttered, not getting any other words out. On the other hand, the kids gushed out all kinds of praises. They looked so happy and pleased to recognize themselves in the dish. She didn't really notice it before but Yi Jeong was very detailed.

"Can we put this on display here, Ga Eul-yang?" Yi Jeong had asked.

"Absolutely." She had answered enthusiastically. "We can put it here on top of this shelf." She had added, motioning to the low shelf where they display the other art pieces that the kids had done.

"There you go. Perfect." Yi Jeong had said, after arranging the dish on the shelf.

"Sunbae, this is…" she had started.

"Thanks, Ga Eul-yang." Yi Jeong replied, as if reading her mind about how she had wanted to compliment his work. She just smiled in return.

"How about I take another commemorative photo of you, the kids and your piece, sunbae?"

"Okay. I'd like that." He had replied and then motioned for the kids to join him in the picture.

Ga Eul rolled to the side of her bed to take out her camera from the bag. She clicked through the pictures until she found the shot she was looking for. Yi Jeong and the kids were all smiles for the camera. She loved how some of the kids were looking at Yi Jeong, almost adoringly if she might add, while some glanced at the art piece at the exact moment she pushed the click button. And Yi Jeong, it was like he was looking and smiling right at her. It was disconcerting in a way, as if he was looking at her almost adoringly too.

She put her hand over her heart. It was beating faster than normal. 'Ga Eul, get a hold of yourself.' She told herself. She needed to talk to Jandi. She picked up her phone and speed dialed her best friend.

"Ga Eul?"

"Jandi, I need to tell you something."

"Oh my god. Don't tell me you're pregnant."

"Jandi-ah!" she exclaimed and heard Jandi chuckle at the other end of the line.

"I'm just kidding, silly. But seriously, is something wrong?"

"It's no big deal. I just want to talk to someone about it."

"Don't tell me. Is this about Yi Jeong sunbae?"

Pause.

"You know me so well, Jandi." Ga Eul conceded.

"Argh. One of these days, I'm really going to hunt him down. Gu Junpyo and his oath of friendship be damned. I needed to tell you something anyway. How about I'll just come by your school tomorrow and let's talk after wrok. Is that okay?"

"You're the best, Jandi."

When Ga Eul arrived at school the following morning, she found Minji and Jiwon waiting for her by the school entrance. She noticed that they were both fidgeting and they kept walking back and forth. Minji saw her first and immediately ran up to her.

"Ga Eul, what took you so long?" Minji inquired, almost forcefully.

Ga Eul checked her watch. "Minji, classes do not start in another fifteen minutes. Why are both so unsettled? Is something wrong?"

"Nothing. Nothing's wrong." Minji answered.

"In fact, everything's great. Just great." Jiwon beamed. And then they both grab her arms and pulled her along as they walked to her classroom.

"I know your actions are both bordering on the weird most of the time but you're both acting really strange today. What's up?" Ga Eul asked.

They entered her classroom and her friends drop their hold on her arms. She started walking towards her table still looking at them, waiting for an answer.

"Ga Eul-yang." The voice behind her said.

"Ahh!" came Ga Eul's shocked response. She immediately turned around and found herself mere inches away from Yi Jeong's face. She jumped back from the close proximity. She could hear the sniggers from the door where Minji and Jiwon are standing. And then they shouted, "Surprise! You have a special visitor, Ga Eul."

She looked at her friends incredulously. 'You two are going to get it from me later.' she vowed. "Thanks for the advance info, guys." She said sarcastically.

She turned to look at her 'special visitor' and her eyes widened when she noticed that he was holding a bouquet of flowers. She looked at him, her eyes asking, 'Are you insane, sunbae?' Apparently, the flowers were not lost to her two co-teachers as well.

"So Yi Jeong, are you, by any chance, the guy who's sending all these flowers to Ga Eul?" Minji was the first to ask, her voice expectant.

He looked at her momentarily and then faced the other two. "Oh, you mean this. I found this on Ga Eul-yang's desk. I picked it up because I was wondering if it smells as good as it looks. Here you go." Yi Jeong explained and then placed the flowers back on her desk.

"So, you don't know who's been sending you flowers?" Yi Jeong asked, now looking straight at Ga Eul. In her mind, the question sounded absurd because they both know the truth.

"I think Ga Eul knows already but she won't tell us anything." Jiwon said, her reply sounding almost like a whine.

"And you have no idea who this person is?" Yi Jeong asked.

"Yes. Although Minji and I both surmised that they must have come from a secret admirer." Jiwon said dreamily.

Ga Eul wasn't comfortable about where this conversation was heading and attempted to change the subject.

"What are you doing here, sunbae, I mean, Mr. So?"

"Good morning to you, too Ga Eul-yang."

Ga Eul couldn't help but smile at that. She did realize how rude her question might have seemed. "I'm sorry." She smiled, a bit apologetic. "It's just that these two friends of mine," gesturing at the two women by the door, "were acting so weird so I thought something bad must have happened and then I find you here in my classroom and I was just shocked," she reasoned and then tried at the greeting again. "Good morning. What brings you here today, Mr. So?"

"Guess."

"Uhm, you have another gift for my kids?"

"Guess again."

"You have another gift for the principal?" Ga Eul joked. Yi Jeong laughed.

"Guess again."

"I give up?"

"So soon, Ga Eul-yang?"

"I can't think of anything else, actually." At that moment, the kids filed inside the classroom and upon seeing Yi Jeong turned into an excited little group.

"Teacher Yi Jeong!" They said in chorus. "You're here again." They cheered.

"Hi, kids. Did you miss me?" Yi Jeong asked, crouching to the ground to face the kids.

"Yes," they all answered in unison.

Ga Eul could not help but smile. It was an extraordinary sight to see Yi Jeong happy being surrounded by kids who obviously adored him. Just then, the school bell rang signaling the start of classes.

"I'll see you later, kids." Yi Jeong said, standing up. Minji and Jiwon waved quick goodbyes and headed off to their respective classes.

"Sunbae, you still haven't told me the reason you're here." Ga Eul asked Yi Jeong who had started for the door.

"Oh, right. I still haven't, have I?"

Pause. Ga Eul continued to look at Yi Jeong, waiting for his answer.

"Well…" Ga Eul prompted.

"I'm going to start teaching at this school today. So, I'll see you at lunch, Ga Eul-yang." Yi Jeong answered before turning around. When he reached the door, he paused and then did a little wave with his hand before disappearing out the corridor.

Ga Eul's eyes did not leave that spot by the door where Yi Jeong had waved goodbye. She also continued to gape at his revelation.

'What did he just say? No, he couldn't have said… I mean, it's only what she thinks she heard him say but that doesn't mean that that was what he actually said, right? He didn't just say that he'll be teaching at this school, too. He couldn't have said that. She heard him wrong, that's all,' Ga Eul thought to herself. She regained a little composure. She turned to face her class and found them all looking expectantly at her.

"Is it true, teacher?"

"Is Teacher Yi Jeong going to teach at this school?"

"Will he be teaching us too?"

Ga Eul stared at her students. These kids heard the same thing she did. 'But she heard wrong. Does this mean that all her kids heard wrong too? And if so, were they all developing hearing problems?' Ga Eul thought this was unlikely, which brings her to the alternative: she didn't hear wrong. Yi Jeong was going to start teaching at her school today.

'Shoot,' Ga Eul thought.

"See you all tomorrow." Ga Eul called out to her students.

"Bye, teacher," they replied.

"Chu Ga Eul." Ga Eul turned around at Minji's voice. She saw her two friends approaching her with bright eyes and wide smiles.

"Have you heard already, Ga Eul?" Jiwon asked.

"Heard what?" Ga Eul asked in return.

"About So Yi Jeong, teaching at our school?"

"So it really is true?" Ga Eul asked.

"Oh, so you knew already?" Minji asked.

"He kind of told me this morning but I thought I heard wrong."

"Well, you heard right, Ga Eul. Apparently he's going to teach for free, for a couple of weeks. Just an art elective for the high school students."

"We'll get to see So Yi Jeong almost everyday. I can't believe this is happening?" The two teachers sighed.

'Neither can I,' Ga Eul added to herself.

Yi Jeong scanned the cafeteria for a familiar face or more specifically for Ga Eul. Almost all the people have stopped to look at him or give him a glance but he was thankful that none were intrusive as to actually come up to him during lunch.

His eyes caught Minji and Jiwon waving at him from their table and he started to make his way toward them. At last, he found her. Ga Eul was facing him and again he was thankful that at least she has a smile on her face. He remembered her reaction that morning upon hearing that he'll be teaching at this school. She gaped at him and he would have bet it took some time before she recovered from her shock, which is why her smile was making him feel a little bit relieved.

"Is it okay if I join you for lunch?" he asked.

"Absolutely." Minji and Jiwon chorused.

"You're always welcome to join us, Mr. So."

"Please, call me Yi Jeong." He insisted. "Is it okay, Ga Eul-yang?" he asked.

"Of course." Ga Eul answered.

"We're so glad that you would be teaching at our school, Yi Jeong." Jiwon said.

"I'm also very glad to be here." He answered, glancing at Ga Eul. "The principal told me about this new program for short-term elective subjects and I was just happy to help the school out during its trial stages."

"That's so nice of you." Minji said. "Don't you think so too, Ga Eul?" she asked, slightly elbowing her.

Ga Eul nodded and smiled in acquiescence.

"Thanks." He simply replied.

"Oh, will you look at the time." Jiwon suddenly said, glancing at her watch. "Minji, aren't we supposed to go somewhere before the bell rings?"

"Huh? Oh, right, right. Ga Eul, Yi Jeong, please excuse us. We'll just see you both later. Enjoy your lunch together." Minji said and then the two went off.

"Is it just me or were they really acting weird just now?" he inquired.

"Well, they both act weird in a good way most of the time, but, yeah, I think they acted weirder than usual just now." Ga Eul answered. They continued to eat comfortably in silence.

"I still can't believe you'll be a teacher here, sunbae."

"Well, it was really a great opportunity, not just for the kids but for me as well."

"I understand but why here?"

"You don't want me here." He said it more as a statement rather than a question. He faltered for a bit. 'Did he make the wrong decision in accepting the offer? Was this too much for her?' he thought.

"No, no. I mean, it's not that at all, sunbae. It's just that, this seems to be a bit out of character for you. Not that you aren't kind enough to want to do this but more of like don't you have other things you need to spend your time on?" Ga Eul explained.

"Ah, well if you put it that way, this may seem as something you wouldn't expect from me. I understand. But still, it's something you think me capable of doing, right?"

"Of course, sunbae. I never thought otherwise. I was just wondering if, you know, maybe there's something wrong…" Ga eul started.

Yi Jeong wondered how there can be a girl like Ga Eul. There he was, accepting the teaching offer for his own selfish reasons and then there she was, wondering if anything was wrong and worrying about him. He wanted to lean over and just pinch her on the cheek because she was being downright adorable. 'I want you back, Ga Eul,' an unbidden thought came to his mind. 'Please like me again,' was his silent wish.

"No need to be worried, Ga Eul-yang. Everything's okay. Let me just put it this way. When I was in Sweden, I realized something important. It's not how long you spend your time that's special but how you spend it and with whom." And with that he smiled warmly at her.

Yi Jeong had insisted on walking her back to her classroom saying it's on the way to his. For the second time, Ga Eul likened the situation to that of high school sweethearts. Urgh, her imagination was working overtime again.

She still couldn't believe that Yi Jeong would be at the same school as her from now on. A few months ago, this would have been unthinkable but now it's actually happening. She started to tidy up the room and prepare the materials the class would be using for tomorrow morning's lesson. She was still trying to wrap her mind around that thought when she heard a knock.

"Ga Eul." She turned and found Jandi entering.

"Jandi-ah." She totally forgot that she was coming this afternoon.

"I'm here. Are you done?" Jandi asked.

"Almost."

"So, what did Yi Jeong sunbae do now?" Jandi asked, stunning Ga Eul into silence at the direct question.

"Did you know he was here during our family day?"

"He was?"

"Yes. He held a special demonstration with my students."

"He did?"

"Yes. And then he was here again the other day because he gave a souvenir to my students and then another one to the principal."

"Really?"

"Really."

"And that's what's bothering you now?"

"It's just that I seem to be seeing him a lot these past few days, well, ever since he came back. It's just a bit unsettling. Like having Yi Jeong-overload." Ga Eul explained, herself smiling at the last part.

"But remember you said that even though a lot of things had happened, you still want him to be a part of your life?"

"I did say that, didn't I?" She sighed.

"Well, he's here right now, Ga Eul. And by the looks of things, he's slowly crawling his way back into your life."

"I'm scared, Jandi."

"I know. But stay strong and just trust yourself, okay?" Jandi advised. "And just be happy." She added.

"Okay," she answered. "By the way, there's still something I haven't told you yet. The latest update, you could say."

"What is it?"

"Ga Eul-yang, are you done?"

Both girls turned towards the voice by the door.

"Yi Jeong sunbae?" Jandi gasped.

"Jandi?" Yi Jeong was shocked as well.

"Why are you here, sunbae?"

"I teach here now, Jandi." Yi Jeong answered.

"What?" Jandi exclaimed and then she turned to Ga Eul and asked again, "What?"


	10. Chapter 09

"I can't believe you're teaching at this school, sunbae." Jandi repeated for what seemed like the tenth time. She recovered a bit from the shock but still kept switching her glances from Yi Jeong to Ga Eul. "For how long?" she asked.

"For a couple of weeks." Yi Jeong answered.

"Wow. I still can't believe you're teaching." Jandi said again. Ga Eul could not help but laugh.

"Jandi, it didn't take long for me to recover from my initial shock. I thought you wouldn't take so long too. But it seems I am mistaken." Ga Eul said, chuckling. Yi Jeong couldn't help but chuckle along with her.

"Okay, fine you guys. No need to stop laughing on my account." Jandi said with false sarcasm, feigning hurt. "The thing I wanted to tell you about," she started, turning to Ga Eul, "is that I wanted to invite you to a party. There's this party that Junpyo's mom insisted upon and you can already guess who the attendees would be. I need my best friend there, Ga Eul."

"Of course, Jandi. I'm there, one hundred percent." Ga Eul answered.

"Ahem." Yi Jeong cleared his throat loudly.

"Don't worry, sunbae. You'll get an invitation too." Jandi reasoned.

"Oh, well alright then. I thought I'll be left out."

"Ya, sunbae. Didn't think you were the sensitive type." Ga Eul teased.

"I'm not." He answered. "I'm the really sensitive type," he added. At that, both of them laughed.

"Okay." Jandi started, again glancing between the two.

"By the way, Jandi. What's the occasion this time? It's not your birthday and neither is it Junpyo sunbae's. Is it his mother's birthday?" Ga Eul inquired.

Pause.

"Well, actually…" Jandi hesitated. Yi Jeong could tell she was having difficulty telling them the reason. Both he and Ga Eul continued to look expectantly at her.

"Well, it's not his mother's birthday." Jandi said. "It's actually…" she tried one more time but then gave out a sigh. She just raised her left hand to both of them. There it was: an empire cut diamond ring on one of her fingers. He heard Ga Eul gasped in surprise. His eyes widened in surprise as well.

"Oh my god, Jandi!" Ga Eul exclaimed. "Oh my god, congratulations!" she said excitedly and engulfed her best friend in a tight hug.

"Wow. Jandi, you and Junpyo, engaged. To be married. Wow." He couldn't think of anything else to say. He knew this was coming sooner or later but for some reason it still surprised him a little. Maybe it was because of the ring. It was a tangible proof. He wondered what Ga Eul would like as an engagement ring. And his breath hitched a little. _Stop right there, So Yi Jeong. You're getting way ahead of yourself. Again._

"I know." Ga Eul seconded.

"I actually didn't want an engagement party. But you know Junpyo's mom. Ever since she resigned herself to the fact that her son is pretty much stuck with me in this lifetime, she seems to have made a silent vow to make this relationship as extravagant and prominent as the Shinwa Empire."

"And so with the big and extravagant engagement party." Ga Eul surmised.

"Exactly. She has invited close to seven hundred people, almost all of whom I do not even know. That's why I need my close friends there."

"And that's why we'll be there Jandi." He reassured her.

"Thanks you guys." Jandi said. "Now, Ga Eul, you have to help me pick out a dress. Junpyo's mom already recommended or shall I say ordered me to pick out a dress in the shop of her choice. And also, I can ask the driver to pick you up on Saturday night at your house, okay."

"I can take her." Yi Jeong suggested immediately. "I mean, if that's alright with you, Ga Eul-yang." He added, glancing at Ga Eul.

"Well, I… it's fine with me, sunbae. Thank you for the offer."

"Okay, that's all settled then." Jandi said.

* * *

"Speaking of the devil." Yi Jeong heard Woobin say when he entered the F4 lounge.

"Where have you been all this time, Yi Jeong?" Junpyo inquired.

"Here and there."

"Here and there. We barely see you ever since you came back." Woobin mused.

"Careful Woobin. You're starting to sound like a nagging girlfriend." Junpyo teased.

"How's your plan doing? Jihoo asked suddenly. Trust Jihoo to go directly to the point.

"It's a work in progress."

"You know, Yi Jeong, I heard something very strange from Jandi the other day. Do you want to know what it was?" Junpyo asked.

He couldn't help but smile almost sheepishly, which did not go unnoticed by his three best friends.

"Woah, is there something you're not telling us, Yi Jeong?" Woobin asked.

"Apparently, our friend here has taken a stint as an art teacher and guess where he's teaching." Junpyo expounded.

"Please, that would be a no-brainer especially with the love-struck grin on Yi Jeong's face right now." Woobin said.

"That was the first thing Jandi said to me. It was kind of funny how she kept saying she couldn't believe you're teaching at the same school as Ga Eul." Junpyo recalled.

"Keep the spirit alive, my man." Woobin cheered.

"I'm happy for you, Yi Jeong." Jihoo admitted.

"Yes, we all are." Junpyo unexpectedly added.

"Thanks guys."

"Just don't screw up." The F3 chorused. He laughed at that.

"I won't. Not this time." He replied, his conviction etched in his voice and in his heart.

* * *

Ga Eul couldn't decide which one she preferred: to have her parents at home and be hounded by the questions and the inquisitive looks or to not have her parents at home (which was the case now since they went on a holiday vacation for the next two weeks) and be alone with Yi Jeong. At her house. Not that she had not been alone with him before. But somehow, this time felt different. Maybe it was the fact that they have been apart for a long time. Or maybe it was the fact that she has been seeing him almost everyday lately, as if their time apart was but a vague memory.

In yet another dilemma, she couldn't decide which was more embarrassing: having Yi Jeong wait for her while she finish dressing up in her room or seeing the look on his face when she came down the stairs to meet him. She didn't know if she was simply imagining things or if she was simply deluding herself but she thought she saw raw admiration in his eyes when he had looked at her. Or more like stared at her.

She couldn't help but blush when she saw the look on his face. She didn't think she dressed extravagantly, as Jandi first suggested she should. In fact, she thought her dress was modest, simple but elegant. She was wearing a short knee-length emerald green dress with a single ruffled strap that goes from one side of the dress, over the opposite shoulder to the back. She decided to pull up her hair in a simple chignon with a silver hairclip.

"Look who dressed good tonight." Yi Jeong teased, to lighten the air, she supposed, as he came towards her at the end of the stairs and offered an arm to her.

"Thanks sunbae. You're not bad yourself." She teased back. Her answer was clearly an understatement when she had looked at So Yi Jeong. He came dressed in an all-black three piece suit. He looked gorgeously handsome and she couldn't deny it one bit even if she wanted to. Not that she would.

The car ride to the party went by in comfortable silence. She didn't feel the urge to talk just to break the silence. She no longer asked herself why this is and just simply accepted that with Yi Jeong, it just is.

When they arrived at the Gold Palace, Shinhwa's premiere luxury hotel in the country, she couldn't believe her eyes at the lines of expensive car after expensive car dropping guests at the lobby entrance. And when they entered the Grand Ballroom, she was speechless with the sheer extravagance and beauty that the place exuded. This was probably the most extravagant party out of all the parties that the Gu family has hosted and that she has attended. It was even more extravagant than Junpyo's birthday celebrations.

"Wow." Ga Eul manage to say as she looked up at the high ceilings adorned with huge ornate chandeliers, to table after table with chairs both lined with gold fabrics and linens. The room was alive with sounds of glasses tinkling and people talking.

"Junpyo's mom really knows how to throw a party." Yi Jeong said.

"I wonder how the wedding would look like." Ga Eul softly whispered, her eyes still scanning the room.

"Ah, there's Junpyo and Jandi." Yi Jeong informed her. They crossed the room to the other side and went to meet their friends.

"Now, there's the happy couple." Yi Jeong greeted when they reached them.

"I can say the same about you two." Junpyo teased, which earned him a not so light jab in the ribs from Jandi.

"Ga Eul, you look gorgeous." Jandi exclaimed, giving her a hug.

"You too, Jandi. The dress really looks amazing on you. I guess it's safe to say that your future mother-in-law really knows what she's talking about when it comes to picking out a dress." She said.

"Don't tell me the party has already started without me." A familiar voice chimed.

Everyone looked to where the voice came.

"Jaekyung-unni." Jandi exclaimed excitedly and went to hug her other friend.

"Monkey. Glad you could come." Junpyo acknowledged.

"I still can't believe you're still not over that horrible nickname. It doesn't suit me at all you know."

Cough. "Yes, it does." Cough.

"I would appreciate not being made the object of your amusement, Woobin." Jaekyung reprimanded.

"Then how about the object of my affection?"

"Haha. Funny doesn't suit you at all Woobin-ah."

"But I suit you, right?"

"Please, enough with the flirting. I'm going to gag anytime now." Junpyo remarked. That stopped the two for a moment.

"Wow. My girls are looking great tonight." Jaekyung said, putting her arms around Ga Eul and Jandi, inadvertently changing the subject.

"Long time no see, Jaekyung." Yi Jeong greeted.

"So Yi Jeong, is that you? When did you come back from the dead, I mean, from Sweden?" Jaekyung greeted, albeit differently, back.

"Just a couple of weeks ago." Yi Jeong said.

"I thought you'd never come back."

"Well, you thought wrong." Yi Jeong answered mildly.

"You have a lot of explaining to do, mister." Jaekyung suddenly reprimanded.

"I know," answered Yi Jeong.

"Really? Then do you know that Ga Eul used to cr…"

"Unni, let's go find our table now, shall we?" Ga Eul immediately interjected, grabbing hold of Jaekyung's arm and dragging her away. Ga Eul was afraid Jaekyung would start spilling the beans about her state before she coped with his absence. She didn't want to go there at all. Not now, when everything's light and breezy. She would enjoy this phase while it lasts. Then, she'll deal with the aftermath later.

"What the hell is Yi Jeong doing here?" Jaekyung asked, slightly irritated.

"I think he also has the right to be here, unni. He's Junpyo's best friend after all." she answered.

"That's not what I meant, Ga Eul. I mean, what is he doing here, back in Korea?"

"Well, he did say he would come back."

"Yeah, yeah. After four or five years and come look for you first right? That's crap."

"Unni."

"Well, the least he could do in all those years he was gone was to contact you. In any way he knew possible. But did he do that? No. That's why it's crap."

"I think I would _know_ about that the most, unni, don't you think," she joked.

"I'm sorry, Ga Eul, for taking it out on you. I was just surprised that he's here. And you're here. And you seem okay. And everything seems okay." Ga Eul chuckled.

"Isn't that a good thing?"

"Well, it is, if it's the truth." Jaekyung said and paused, maybe to let her words sink in her. And her words did sink in but before she could explain, the others came and they all sat around the table near the stage where Junpyo and Jandi are now seated.

* * *

Yi Jeong's eyes seemed to have a mind of its own. As much as he would like to control them, they kept straying to Ga Eul's direction every ten seconds. And it didn't help that Woobin and Jihoo kept giving him their amused looks and knowing smiles. Or that Jaekyung is still eyeing him with something in between irritation and amusement and how she manages to do it, he did not need to know.

But he can hardly blame his eyes for not being able to look away. Anyone can see how gorgeous she was tonight. When he went to pick her up at her house earlier, he found out that her parents had left for a holiday trip. He had waited for her downstairs while she finished preparing and had to thank the family photographs that lined a whole wall in Ga Eul's living room for the distraction. Entertaining inappropriate thoughts about Ga Eul and him, while being alone in her house, would not have been healthy at all.

And what a distraction it had been. He couldn't decide which one of Ga Eul's pictures was his favorite. He was still caught between a 7-year-old Ga Eul with pigtails carving an angel in the snow or a pretty recent picture of her working on clay on a potter's wheel, hair pulled back and eyebrows furrowed in concentration. He was still looking at the pictures when he heard her come down the stairs.

He turned to look at her and his whole body went rigid for a moment. He was staring at her like a hypnotized man and in a way, he was. He was mesmerized by the Ga Eul he was seeing now. He watched her cheeks turn a darker shade of red and at that moment he had decided that making Ga Eul blush was one of the most exciting and fulfilling things he will ever do in his life. Because he felt that when he makes her blush, it meant something. With Ga Eul, it always means something.

He was trying to think of something clever to say but nothing coherent seemed to come to mind. When something did however, he was surprised that he had to close his mouth. Apparently, not only had he been staring, his mouth had also been hanging open.

"Look who dressed good tonight." He managed to say. He was rewarded with a smile and a comeback, "Thanks sunbae. You're not bad yourself." He had offered his arm and he smiled to himself when she accepted. He instantly felt her warmth and his heart beat faster.

He felt a nudge at his side, bringing him back from his reverie. "Man, could you be any more obvious." It was Woobin. He couldn't think of a good comeback at that so he just lightly scratched his right eyebrow and muttered, "Shut up, Woobin."

"Ladies and gentlemen, dear guests," Madam Gu's voice reverberated across the hall. Everyone from their table now turned towards the stage. "Thank you very much for coming. We have invited you all today for a very important announcement. In behalf of my whole family, we are happy to announce the engagement of my only son, Gu Jun Pyo, to his long-time girlfriend, Geum Jan Di." The whole room echoed with applause and cheers.

Yi Jeong watched Jun Pyo and Jandi as they stood on the stage, smiling and holding hands while thanking the applauding crowd. 'Finally.' He thought, happy that his best friend is getting the ending he had wanted from the very start. Although he knew for a fact that when it came to Jun Pyo, there would have been no other ending, no other option, rather than what is happening at that moment. Since that fateful day when Jun Pyo got his face stamped with ice cream, there had been no other ending but Jandi.

He turned his gaze to Ga Eul and just reveled for a moment on the happiness that was so transparent on her face. She was smiling so widely and clapping her hands in earnest. And if he wasn't mistaken, he thinks he can see moist forming at the corner of her eyes. 'She's such a softie.' He thought, and still a believer of soul mates, he hoped.

* * *

"You couldn't even dance if your life depended on it, Junpyo," Woobin teased. All seven of them are now seated together at a table. Dinner has been served and there were all talking about random things over desserts. The topic at hand was Junpyo's dancing skills or lack thereof.

"Well, there is nothing that I can't do once I set my mind to do it. And my feet are going to learn to dance even if they don't want to, before the wedding. Jandi made me promise to dance with her." Junpyo said.

"You're talking nonsense again, Junpyo. I said promise me you won't step on my feet and murder all my toenails." Jandi defended. Everybody else laughed at that.

"Well, Geum Jandi," Junpyo started, rising from his chair and offering his hand to Jandi, "I'll prove to you that your toenails are safe with me. Dance with me?"

"My, my, my, Jandi's really turning you into someone else, isn't she?" Jaekyung teased.

Jandi turned to smile at Jaekyung and then faced her fiancée and accepted his hand. The rest watched as Junpyo lead Jandi to the dance floor. When the other guests noticed the couple had started dancing, they started clapping and some grabbed their partners and started dancing as well.

"So Jihoo, I heard our cute couple has asked you to play for them at their wedding?" Jaekyung asked.

"More like demanded, but yeah, I guess I'll be playing for them, as my wedding present to them." Jihoo answered.

"Well, I have an early present for them." Jaekyung announced. "I planned an engagement trip slash vacation for them. With us." She added, smiling mischievously.

"We're coming with them? That's not even a gift, monkey." Woobin berated.

"Nobody asked you, Woobin. And who said you were coming?"

"Aww, don't be like that, monkey." Woobin said, rising from his seat and walking towards Jaekyung. "C'mon, let's just dance."

"I am not dancing with you."

"Yes, you are."

"No, I'm not."

"Fine." Woobin said then turned to Ga Eul. "Ga Eul, may I…"

"Not a chance." Yi Jeong cut him. "Ga Eul, let's leave this two weirdoes alone." He added, offering his hand to her.

"Yah." Jaekyung and Woobin shouted at the same time.

Ga Eul laughed and joined in on Yi Jeong's joke. "I'd love to, sunbae." She placed her hand on Yi Jeong's and they both headed to the dance floor.

"Jihoo, would you like to dance?" Jaekyung asked.

"No chance, too. Let's go, monkey." And with the typical Korean guy hand-grab, Woobin took Jaekyung's hand and almost dragged her to the dance floor.

Jihoo who's left alone at the table just smiled at his bunch of weird friends. He looked at Junpyo and Jandi and thought back to their story. It still makes him wonder sometimes how they have managed to stay together even after so many things that had happened. He looked at Junpyo, who was smiling widely while looking down at Jandi. In all the years that he'd known his best friend, he would always look the happiest when he's looking at Jandi.

Jihoo then turned his gaze towards Jaekyung and Woobin, who are still not dancing, more like arguing, on the dance floor. Woobin kept trying to hold Jaekyung so they could start dancing but she kept on swatting his hands away and trying to leave him on the dance floor. 'What a pair of morons', he thought mischievously. Theirs is a serious case of 'the more you hate, the more you love' kind of story. It was obvious they have feelings for each other, feelings that have long crossed the borderline of friendship but still so vague that both of them can't seem to recognize it and both have therefore resolved to channel their energies into riling each other up and pressing each other's wrong buttons. Jihoo cracked a little smile and thought, 'these two have a long, long way to go.'

Finally, he looked at Yi Jeong and Ga Eul. These two are almost there. Happiness is almost within their reach but he understands that things are much more complicated now. Time and distance can change a lot of things. Being separated from each other for a long time was bound to complicate things in one way or another. He understands why Ga Eul feels the need to be wary of Yi Jeong now that he's back. If he didn't know his best friend and wasn't fully aware of how strongly Yi Jeong feels for Ga Eul, then and now, he also would have advised Ga Eul to be wary. But he knows that what the two needs is a second chance. And he's glad that Yi Jeong has set out his heart to get the both of them just that. He watched as Yi Jeong pulls Ga Eul closer, his eyes never leaving her face. 'Hmm, maybe their happy ending is closer than he thought?'

'I have a bunch of weirdoes as friends.' He thought to himself, breaking into a small smile at his personal joke but he also couldn't help but let out a sigh and then a shout of pain. "Oww." Somebody had just hit him on the head.

"Shoot. I'm so sorry, sir. I didn't see you. Ah, I mean I saw you but didn't think I would hit your head. I'm so sorry. I don't have the least bit of skill in gauging distances." It was a waitress holding a big round tray, who was now bowing and apologizing to Jihoo.

"I don't think you injured your head. Did I hit your head hard? Wait, let me just get some ice, sir." The girl turned around, causing her tray to collide with Jihoo's head for the second time.

"Aww." Jihoo cursed unexpectedly. The second hit harder than the first.

"Shit. I'm really sorry, sir." The girl finally put down the tray she was holding and hurriedly placed some ice from the water glass to the table napkin. "I'm a klutz you see. And it's always been a struggle for me to minimize any damage I might cause." The girl chatted while placing the napkin on Jihoo's reddening forehead.

Jihoo looked up at this girl who's now holding a napkin against his forehead and thought, _'what a strange talkative girl.'_

* * *

"Those two are idiots." Yi Jeong joked, motioning to Woobin and Jaekyung, who seemed to be wrestling rather than dancing. Ga Eul laughed at that.

"Not so much as idiots but it's just silly, what they're doing." Ga Eul said.

"I know, right?" Yi Jeong added. He heard the song come to an end and had a hard time relinquishing his hold on Ga Eul. They pulled apart just as the next song started playing.

"Aww, I love this song." Ga Eul said, almost dreamily. Yi Jeong stared at her, appreciating the fact that she was able to retain a sense of innocence even after all these years. He tuned his ear, trying to guess what song was playing. Ah. Ga Eul will always be Ga Eul. And he has no objections to that at all.

"Moon river." They said in unison. And they both laughed.

"Can you still dance this song with me, Ga Eul-yang?" Yi Jeong asked, offering his hand to her for the second time.

"Sure, why not?" Ga Eul accepted.

Yi Jeong stepped closer to Ga Eul, taking her hand in his and placing her other hand on his shoulder. He then placed a hand on her waist and pulled her closer to him. He breathed in Ga Eul's scent, almost on reflex.

"This is a nice song." Yi Jeong whispered, looking down at Ga Eul's face.

"It is, isn't it?" Ga Eul replied, raising her eyes to his. Their gazes locked and both seemed unable to look away.

_Two drifters off to see to the world  
There's such a lot of world to see  
We're after the same rainbow's end  
Just around the bend  
My huckleberry friend  
Moon river and me…_

Yi Jeong took Ga Eul's hand and held it against his heart. He felt a shiver but at that moment he didn't know if it was him or Ga Eul. And before he could stop himself, he had already raised his other hand to slightly brush his knuckles against Ga Eul's cheek. He started pulling her closer to him until he felt the side of her head against his. His eyes closed on their own and he couldn't help but inhale the smell of her hair.

He felt his heart fill up. With happiness. With peace. With contentment. With love. All because of the girl he was holding at that moment. It was still a miracle to him how he was able to live without this. Without her. For all those years in Sweden. _'I love you, Ga Eul. I know this much.'_ He thought to himself, not having the courage yet to voice it out to her again.

"I've missed you, Ga Eul." He just went with the closest thing he could say at that moment. "I've missed you so much." He added, gathering Ga Eul closer to him still. "I'm so sorry." He whispered, his voice a little coarse, his hand squeezing Ga Eul's hand slightly. He didn't hear any reply from Ga Eul. But a few seconds later, he felt a soft pressure on his shoulder.

_We're after the same rainbow's end  
Just around the bend  
My huckleberry friend  
Moon river and me…_


	11. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

"Ah, this is the how you spend a vacation." Ga Eul exclaimed as she breathed in the fresh Grecian air. She, Jaekyung and Jandi are riding a jeep on their way to the private villa that Jaekyung has rented for the weekend.

She felt the rush of air blowing against her face and she closed her eyes to enjoy the sensation. When Jaekyung announced at the airport where they would all be going (since she refused to reveal anything beforehand), her mouth dropped opened in surprise and then expanded into a huge grin in excitement. She hasn't been abroad anywhere yet apart from New Caledonia and Japan. Those trips seemed like a lifetime away.

From the first time she set eyes on the cerulean blue waters and the white stucco houses that looked like random embedded pieces in the mountains, she knew this was going to be great adventure. And how better to take on an adventure than by spending it with friends, with the people you're closest to.

They arrived at the villa and it too took their breath away. It wasn't as monumental as the F4 mansions back in Seoul but it still has a majestic feel to it with its uneven but crisp white façade. The house even had its own boat port. And is that a sailboat?

She heard the sound of two cars approaching and glanced as the boys got out of their cars and joined them. Everyone was taking in the beautiful sight. Apart from her and Jandi, the rest were born into wealthy and affluent families but having been friends with them for quite some time now, she was pleased to have discovered along the way that the world still holds its wonder for them even though they seemed to already hold the world in the palm of their hands.

"You outdid yourself with this place, monkey." Even Woobin wasn't immune to the beauty of the place.

"I did, didn't I," Jaekyung replied, her voice filled with a hint of pride. "Yah, Woobin-ah, I wish you'd be more grateful that you're even here with us." Jaekyung added.

"Har, har. I know you can't stand leaving without me. We're in freakin' Greece, baby."

"Whatever."

The rest of the gang just rolled their eyes at the verbal sparring going on again between the two. What else was new?

They spent the remainder of the afternoon getting settled in their respective rooms. The girls have decided to occupy the largest one since they will be staying in the same room. Each of the boys has his own. They all decided to meet in the evening for dinner.

"Unni, this place is really amazing. That's saying a lot since we haven't seen most of it yet." Ga Eul commented. She was standing at the balcony overlooking the sea and the house's private port. Jaekyung was lying stretched out on the bed, her legs crossed at the ankles, her arms crossed at the back of her head while Jandi was still still busy arranging her things from her travel bag to the closet but they both nodded earnestly in agreement.

"It is, isn't it? I'm glad everybody seemed to like it."

"You're the best, unni." Jandi chimed in.

"Hmm, in a way this somehow reminds me of New Caledonia." Ga Eul wondered aloud.

"Will this trip be as eventful as that one?" Jaekyung mused. Even though she had not yet entered the picture then, she knows what had transpired thanks to the countless girlfriend-bonding sessions the three of them were fond of doing.

"I hope not _that_ kind of eventful." Jandi said, smiling wistfully, remembering the disastrous end of that trip. And the other two giggled.

The following morning, Ga Eul decided to take an early walk by the beach. Taking her camera with her, she then walked along the shore, once in a while glancing as her feet imprinted on the sands. She then watched the prints disappear as soft waves hit the shore. She glanced at the horizon and saw that the sun was ready to rise, rays of light slowly darting across the indigo skies. She then began taking pictures of the beautiful scenery that the place offered.

She thought back to the night of Junpyo and Jandi's engagement party and to the dance she shared with Yi Jeong. It had felt like a dream. And for a moment, she had thought it was all a dream if it weren't for the beating of Yi Jeong's heart beneath her hand.

_I've missed you. I missed you so much, Ga Eul-yang. I'm so sorry._

She had heard Yi Jeong say. He had pulled her closer to him and when he said those words, she thought he sounded heartbroken. And she fought the urge to embrace him. So she did what she could at that moment; she just pressed her hand against his shoulder, almost willing to channel something positive to him – her forgiveness for instance. Because she had forgiven him. She had forgiven him already for not contacting her all these years. But forgetting is an entirely different matter. And it is not easy to forget about the pain.

"How come you're out here enjoying the sunrise all by yourself?"

_Is it possible to read someone else's mind?_ Ga Eul wondered as she turned towards the familiar sound coming from the person who was just occupying her thoughts.

"Sunbae, good morning." She greeted, then added, "Yeah, that's right. I'm trying to hog Mr. Sun all to myself."

"Too bad. I'm here now." Yi Jeong replied, walking towards Ga Eul. He reached her side in seconds; now the two of them are side by side, looking out to the horizon. The sun has passed the horizon, slowly but steadily rising to its place in the skies.

"How about I'll just hog _you_ all to myself?" Yi Jeong said.

In surprise, Ga Eul's neck snapped sideways to look at Yi Jeong who was still looking straight to the sea.

"Or we could just share the sun. Whatever you want, Ga Eul-yang." Yi Jeong added, now turning his face towards Ga Eul.

Ga Eul was speechless for a second but recovered just as quickly. "Fine, sunbae. I'll share the sun with you. But just for today." She joked and heard Yi Jeong's soft chuckle in return.

And with that the two of them watched the sunrise by each other's side.

"You'd think they would never lose their energy." Ga Eul said. "It's like there's no limit to their supply."

Ga Eul was talking animatedly about her kindergarten students who never seem capable of staying in one place for a maximum of 5 minutes.

"I can imagine what you mean." Yi Jeong replied.

They were now strolling by the beach and conversations came easy. Ga Eul was surprised with the ease that came with talking to Yi Jeong about anything and nothing at the same time.

"I guess I had a glimpse of their energy when we did the demonstration. But they were a bit behaved during that time." Yi Jeong said.

"You don't know half of it, sunbae."

"But you love them just the same."

"Absolutely." Ga Eul chirped.

"Being a teacher really suits you, Ga Eul-yang. You still manage to see beyond the bad things in this world. And I think that's what you translate to your students, not just in what you teach them directly but in what they see and feel from you."

"Thank you, sunbae." Ga Eul said earnestly.

"No need to thank me. I'm just stating the simple truth."

"Thanks anyways."

"So you still like taking pictures?" Yi Jeong asked, gesturing to the camera she was holding.

"Yes, if it's not obvious enough." She joked. "But at least now I take pictures other than my own." They both laughed at that.

"How about I take some pictures for you?" Yi Jeong asked.

"Oh, okay. And then I'll take some for you." Ga Eul traded.

"Deal. Wait, how about we play a bet?" Yi Jeong started. "We take a set of pictures and then have the rest of the gang be the judges to see which of us took the better ones."

"Are you challenging me, sunbae?"

"I am. Definitely."

"Call."

The two of them decided to take pictures of the same set of subjects so that their friends would have the basis for comparison in judging. They both picked out four things and they have decided to take one picture each of their villa, the beach, of each other, and a self-photo. They gave each other 3 shots per subject and they can choose which among these would be their final shots.

"Now, let's talk rewards and consequences." Yi Jeong announced.

"Yah, Ga Eul, isn't this a little childish?" Yi Jeong quipped.

"Not at all. Besides, the game's mechanics allow me and compels you to do this."

"Fine. You are so going to regret this in the end."

"I am so not. And stop talking, sunbae and just do it." Ga Eul said and laughed at the hard expression on Yi Jeong's face.

They were now taking pictures of each other and one of Ga Eul's imagined shots is for Yi Jeong to lie down on the sand and make a sand angel. Is that too much to ask? Apparently it was for the renowned Casanova.

"Well, at least there isn't anyone else around now."

"I'm so touched by your consideration, Ga Eul-yang." Yi Jeong remarked sarcastically but totally in jest. He shook his head, as if disbelieving what he was about to do, but proceeded to do as Ga Eul said. He flapped his hands, indenting wing shapes on the sand. Ga Eul was already focusing the camera on him and he saw her smile behind the lens and could not help but smile too.

"You know sunbae, if I distribute this picture of you, I'd bet I'll be able to fund the construction of a new building for our school from all the proceedings." Ga Eul joked.

"You wouldn't." Yi Jeong said, riding on Ga Eul's joke.

"Okay. It's good, sunbae. You can get up now."

"I think my shot's right here."

"Hmm?" Ga Eul asked, her eyes still on the images she had just shot with her camera. When she turned to look at Yi Jeong, he had his hand outstretched towards her.

"It's my turn. Now you, just stay right where you are."

Ga Eul handed him the camera, her face showing puzzlement over Yi Jeong's request. She watched as Yi Jeong adjusted the lens while still lying down on the sand.

"I'm taking your shot from right here. Can you lean forward a little, with your hands on your knees and just smile for the camera." Yi Jeong requested.

Ga Eul did what Yi Jeong said. And as Yi Jeong adjusted the lens and focused the camera on Ga Eul, he could not help but smile again. The sunrays hit just the right angle and made the perfect background light for Ga Eul. He framed the shot on her face and shoulders. Her hair was pulled up on a bun high on her head but some tendrils came loose and were being blown slightly by the soft wind across her face. And her smile completed the whole package.

"Perfect." Yi Jeong whispered as he took three shots of Ga Eul. "Just about perfect, Ga Eul-yang." He added, putting down the camera, resting his elbows at his sides for support, and staring up at Ga Eul, a smile playing on his lips as well.

"Hey, you two. What are you doing out there so early in the morning?"

They both turned at the sound of the voice. They saw Woobin and Jaekyung by the boardwalk.

"It's time for breakfast. Let's go you lovebirds." Woobin called out. The remarked earned him a soft rib jab from Jaekyung.

"Well, breakfast it is." Yi Jeong said, as he stood up and brushed the sand off his clothes. "Prepare to lose, Ga Eul-yang." He added.

Yi Jeong looked so proud and smug that Ga Eul couldn't help but laugh.

"Well, enjoy the feeling while it lasts sunbae. 'Cause you're going down."

Yi Jeong laughed at that and they both walked back to the villa, side by side.

"Okay, this is of utmost importance. You have to look within your minds and hearts before you decide on something like this." Jaekyung explained earnestly.

"Ah, unni, isn't that a bit overdramatic?" Jandi softly commented.

"Of course not. Ga Eul's life is on the line here."

"You'd think Ga Eul's about to die. Relax money, take your seat and eat first." Woobin interceded, pulling at Jaekyung's hand. The heiress shot a kind of murderous glare at Woobin, who's seating on her right, but she settled back on her seat.

"Ugh. Ga Eul, I can't believe you got tricked into playing this stupid game with a stupid penalty." Jaekyung fumed. "By this Casanova." She added, gesturing towards Yi Jeong.

The whole gang was seated around the dining table eating their breakfast. Yi Jeong had explained a while ago about his and Ga Eul's bet game and had requested their friends to be the judges of the photographs. All was well until they explained the rewards and consequences.

"I did no such thing, Jaekyung." Yi Jeong said, defensively. But inside, he was feeling almost guilty for, let's say, a little manipulation on his part. Almost. He had effectively convinced Ga Eul that the winner gets to ask three favors from the loser.

"Three favors. Seriously? What are you guys, twelve?" Jaekyung started again.

"It's alright, unni. I don't think there'll be any harm in doing favors for a friend." Ga Eul finally interjected.

At the mention of the word 'friend', Yi Jeong's gaze dropped to his plate and his jaw tightened a little. He tried to pass off the comment as nothing more than a part of Ga Eul's explanation to convince Jaekyung. At least Ga Eul still considers him as something. He'll take it over being nothing at all, anytime. He felt eyes on him and when he glanced up, Jihoo and Junpyo were both looking at him. Junpyo raised his eyebrows at him, as if asking how he'll handle that comment while Jihoo just broke into a small and almost imperceptible smile and shrugged at him.

_Thanks for the support. What great friends I have..._ Yi Jeong thought sarcastically.

"Relax, Jaekyung. It's just a simple game. Let's just all take it in stride and enjoy." Junpyo said.

"Fine. Fine. If Ga Eul's okay with it, then I'm okay with it." Jaekyung finally conceded. "But don't say I didn't warn you." She was still able to add.

"Okay, it's set then. We'll decide the winner after we eat." The seven of them all enjoyed a scrumptious breakfast. Jaekyung talked about her most recent travel to Dubai. Junpyo kept complaining about the 'stupid, idiotic patient' who keeps on following Jandi around at the hospital. To which, Jihoo added that said patient was a five-year old boy who sprained an arm and has grown fond of his doctor. Ga Eul and Yi Jeong shared their experience during the demonstration Yi Jeong did at Ga Eul's school. Jandi talked about her plans to join a medical mission to several provinces for two weeks. Woobin talked about a club that's doing very well in Seoul.

"You don't ever change Woobin-ah." Jaekyung commented. "You're still the same guy who lives his life in clubs and parties."

"That's what you think, monkey. Did you not get my invitation last month?"

"Invitation to what?"

"Woobin owns that club. He just launched it last month and it's well received by people." Jihoo offered.

"Oh." Jaekyung can only reply in surprise.

"What, cat got your tongue now monkey? I bet you just realized what a great man I am right?"

"In your dreams." Jaekyung huffed, among the sniggers of the rest.

At that moment, there was a small crashing sound beyond the doors of the kitchen. All heads turned towards the sound and they all saw a young lady bowing profusely to an unseen person.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I'll do better Mr. Lee." The young lady kept repeating.

"Fine. Just try not to drop anything this time, will you?" the unseen man said. They figured it was the butler taking care of the affairs of the villas for the guests. "Just serve the fruits, go." The butler said in exasperation.

The young lady bowed for the last time and turned around with a tray of freshly cut fruits in her hands. She froze when she saw the whole gang looking at her.

"Ah, annyong haseyo." She greeted. "I'm so sorry you all have to hear that. Don't mind me and please continue to enjoy your breakfast." She then proceeded to place a platelet of fruits in front of each in the group.

"No need to feel burdened, miss…" Ga Eul was the one to speak first, addressing the young lady.

"Ah, Hwang Bo. My name is Hwang Bo."

"No worries, Hwang Bo-sshi. And thanks for the fruits." Ga Eul said.

"Thank you and enjoy your breakfast." Hwang Bo bowed and then turned to leave and then _Smack!_ It was the sound of metal hitting something hard.

"Oh my god. I'm so sorry." Hwang Bo began to apologize to the person she had hit. It was Jihoo. "I'm so sorry, sir, I…" she trailed. "Ah, it's you again, Sir."

"Yes, it's me again. And for the nth time, Oww, again."

Everyone's ears perked at that. Yi Jeong and Ga Eul glanced at each other. Yi Jeong mouthed, "Again?" Ga Eul looked equally perplexed.

"I'm so sorry, sir. My body coordination is really at an all-time low."

"I was just kidding. It didn't hurt at all. You don't have to worry." Jihoo explained.

"Wait. Do you two know each other?" Junpyo inquired, his curiosity peaked, as was the rest of the gang's.

"Ah, I'm so sorry to be so forward. I also worked as a waitress during your party Mr. Gu. I accidentally hit Mr. Yoon on the head." Hwang Bo admitted, her eyes now glued to the floor.

At that moment, the butler came rushing to Hwang Bo side and inquired if there was any problem. To which the gang replied that nothing was wrong. The butler told them to enjoy the rest of the meal and steered Hwang Bo back to the kitchen.

"Is it true, Jihoo? Did she hit you in the head?" Junyo asked.

"Yeah, she did, accidentally. Quite forcefully the first time." Jihoo answered.

"She hit you more than once?" It was now Yi Jeong.

"Twice. Right here." Jihoo gestured to the side of his head, his eyes darted for a second towards the kitchen doors.

_Interesting. _Yi Jeong thought as he caught Jihoo's glance.

"Okay, here's how we're going to do this." Jaekyung started. They were now gathered around the open porch of the villa overlooking the beach. Jaekyung was explaining how the voting system will work for Yi Jeong and Ga Eul's competition.

"Yi Jeong and Ga Eul printed the photos already but in the interest of having an objective decision, they won't tell us which photo is whose. We judge the pictures as they are. So for each category, just pick one and then put the number of your choice and then we'll tally the scores after. Araso?"

"Yes." The gang answered in unison.

Yi Jeong and Ga Eul stood at the sides as their friends voted for the favorite photos.

"They all look so serious." Ga Eul joked and Yi Jeong chuckled.

"Who knew it would be a big deal for them. Especially for Jaekyung."

"Well, you know Jaekyung-unni."

"Yeah. For some bizarre reason, I get her."

"Are you ready to fulfill my three favors, Genie sunbae?"

Yi Jeong laughed out loud, earning him a slight glare from Jaekyung that stopped him immediately. But he still smiled and said, "What a weird name that was, Ga Eul-yang. I'm flattered that at least it's something that you say just to me but I'm sorry that I won't be able to fulfill your three favors 'cause I'm going to do the wishing."

"Oh, we'll see about that sunbae."

"Oh, we will, Ga Eul-yang. We will." Yi Jeong refused to budge from his stance and Ga Eul slapped his arm lightly.

"Okay, the results are in. Let's see who's going to cry." Woobin announced a few minutes later. "It's a pretty tight game. Only a two-point difference."

"Now, the person who's going to cry is… Yi Jeong." Woobin shouted.

Ga Eul smiled smugly at Yi Jeong when they heard Woobin. But then she saw a tinge of sadness pass through his face that she patted his arm in consolation.

"… but it will be tears of joy because… Yi Jeong is our winner." Woobin suddenly announced.

Ga Eul's hand froze on Yi Jeong's arm and the whole gang turned their heads to Woobin.

"What?" Woobin asked defensively. "I just did that for flair." That earned him a pinch in the arm from Jaekyung. "Ow."

"Are you ready to fulfill my three favors, Genie-sshi?" Yi Jeong whispered to Ga Eul.


	12. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

_What have I done in my life to deserve something like this? I almost feel guilty. Almost. But am I stupid to pass up something like this? Not in this lifetime. _

Yi Jeong thought as he watched Ga Eul talking and laughing with the girls. The whole gang was walking the streets of Santorini, taking in the sights and sounds of Greece and its people. But Jaekyung had heard from a friend about a particular street filled with specialty shops that were most recommended by locals and tourists alike and they were now looking for the place.

He watched the girls stopped at a particular flower stand. Ga Eul picked a tulip and smelled the fragrance and he took in the sight of her. Because it was little moments like this when he would be reminded of the past four years filled with the want and even the need to see her but then not being able to. And then he would search for consolation in his memories of her. But now, standing a mere few feet away from her, seeing her in the flesh, it was like finally being able to live a dream.

He thought back to when Woobin called out the winner of the bet earlier that morning. His heart had almost dropped. But because of happiness. And gratitude. Fate was definitely giving him a break, a chance. Of course, he had thought that he would have at least a 50-50 chance of winning and he would still be happy to have Ga Eul win. He had no problems fulfilling whatever her three favors were. He just prayed that they did not have anything to do with him leaving her in any way. If he can spend more time with her, he would do practically anything; anything except stay away.

There were all types of tourists roaming around the streets like them; all kinds of people. Many would take second glances at their group because it can't be denied that they were a good-looking bunch. He was aware of the lingering stares of women on him. There was a time when he would have returned their stares with a flirtatious one of his own or maybe he would have approached them to start a conversation. But those times were all in the past now. And as cheesy as it may sound, the truth was that there's only one girl now that he would always have eyes for; one girl whom he wants to have conversations with. For a lifetime. And in this sea of people, all the other girls pale in comparison to her; everyone else disappears into the background and only she remains clear, real, and true for him.

As much as he appreciated the attention that they have been receiving, it was a different story altogether when he noticed the admiring stares the girls were receiving, especially Ga Eul. To make the long story short, he did not like it one bit. Scratch that. He hated it.

_Who do they think they are, staring at Ga Eul as if… as if… as if they are allowed to?_

He locked eyes with every guy who stared and gave them the worst glare he could muster. He could tolerate the staring up to a certain point. Ga Eul was, after all, the prettiest in the crowd; and eyes don't do much damage anyway. He turned to look at Ga Eul. She didn't seem all that aware; and even if she was, she didn't look affected, which was perfect for him.

But just then, he saw two guys bumped into Ga Eul and Jaekyung causing them to drop the drinks they were holding.

"Oh, I'm sorry Miss." He heard one of the guys say.

_Sorry, my a**. _And right then, he suddenly felt a need to punch something. First, because obviously, they weren't sorry and second, because he was pretty sure they did it intentionally. He rushed to Ga Eul's side and noticed that Woobin did the same, only that he was standing at Jaekyung's side.

"Is there a problem here?" Woobin asked, eyeing the group of guys seriously.

"Oh, we were just apologizing to these ladies because we bumped into them." One of the guys answered airily.

"Then are you done?" Yi Jeong asked.

"What?"

"Are you done apologizing?"

"Almost. Ladies, we're really sorry. About your drinks, mind if we buy you some just to replace the ones we spilled?" The other guy offered.

"Not a chance."

"No." Yi Jeong and Woobin said simultaneously.

"Who are you guys anyways? Boyfriends?"

"Is anything wrong here?" It was Jihoo approaching and next to him came Junpyo with Jandi. Jandi, feeling a tension immediately rushed to the girls.

"What happened here?" Jandi asked.

"Accident." Ga Eul answered.

"Do we have any more problems here?" Now, it was Junpyo who stared down the two guys. The F4 are now standing side-by-side, their eyes looking almost menacingly at the two guys who do not look as confident as they did a moment ago. And almost as though they have just realized that they are outnumbered, opted for the best choice and immediately took off.

"What a pair of idiots." Yi Jeong muttered.

"Are you guys okay?" Jandi asked.

"Of course we are, Jandi-ah. It was just a little accident, after all." Jaekyung answered.

"I thought something serious has happened with the way Woobin-sunbae and Yi Jeong-sunbae were poised like they're ready to fight." Jandi said.

"Well, trust the guys to always want to show their macho side." Jaekyung said.

"Yah, monkey. I just saved your life." Woobin exclaimed.

"Please. Like it was a life and death situation. And as if we couldn't take care of ourselves."

"Those guys were up to no good." Yi Jeong said.

"We know. And if you had just waited patiently, we'd have gotten rid of them soon." Ga Eul said. "But thank you anyways, for feeling the need to be our knights in shining armor." Ga Eul teased.

"Fine. Be that way." Yi Jeong said, feigning hurt. He took extra effort in walking away from the group, exaggerating his gait. And he looked like a kid that Ga Eul could not help but laugh out loud and the rest of the gang followed suit. Yi Jeong knew he looked silly but then he heard Ga Eul's laugh and he realized he couldn't care less about his image if he could make Ga Eul laugh. He turned to shoot Ga Eul with another feigned hurt look.

"Suit yourselves." Yi Jeong shouted over the laughter and turned away again. But by now, he too has a smile on his face.

"Yah, sunbae. Wait up." He heard Ga Eul shout after him. He then heard steps and was a little bit surprised to see Ga Eul at his side.

"Didn't know you had it in you, sunbae." Ga Eul started.

"What do you mean?"

"Didn't know you have a special talent… in acting."

"Well, I don't know why this still surprises you, Ga Eul-yang. You know I'm a man of many talents."

"Oh, I'm sorry. I meant to say a special talent in _over_-acting, sunbae."

"Yah, Chu Ga Eul." Ga Eul laughed again.

"But you're still a man of many talents."

"Well, that is true." Ga Eul's laughter again. _Can anything sound more beautiful?_

He was looking at Ga Eul, with a huge smile on his face. He held her gaze for a while and then Ga Eul seemed to realize what they were doing and immediately averted her gaze. She went on talking about a specialty shop she heard from Jaekyung which sells potteries. She looked so adorable; he wanted to pull her in for a hug. Even in the middle of this busy street. His gaze left her face and traveled to the tendrils of her hair that had fallen out of the bun to her neck and shoulders.

His mind went back to the night he had taken her into his arms and danced with her. It felt like finally coming home. Most of his life he had spent trying to build a home for himself amidst the burden of his family problems. He hasn't actually experienced the strong feelings of coming home to a family. But for some reason, he thought that having Ga Eul in his arms seemed like the closest thing to that. The smell and feel of her skin made him think of lazy Sunday mornings by a porch. Again, he didn't know what it feels like to have Sundays with nothing to do but sit together by the porch but that was how he imagined it would have felt with Ga Eul. And his imagination was telling him that it would be good.

His gaze continued down her arms to her hands. _He could ask for this, right? He won, after all. Just ask for it, Yi Jeong._

Her hand was holding a straw hat and she was still talking animatedly about the ceramics shop and how she thinks he would appreciate a unique place like that. It still amazes him how people like her, who can think so much of other people's well-being, exist. It doesn't seem possible but there she was, countering the impossibility.

He firmed his resolve. He gently pulled at the straw hat from Ga Eul's grip and then he reached for her hand. He felt, before he saw, her head dropped to their joined hands and then snapped to back up to his face.

Ga Eul was surprised to say the least. And her face was slowly turning into a red tomato.

"Sunbae, what…" she trailed.

"Hold hands with me, Ga Eul-yang." There, he finally said it.

"What are you talking about?" Yi Jeong felt Ga Eul pulling her hand slightly from his. Her action hurt him just a bit but because it was understandable that she would be shocked, he decided not to dwell on it any longer. Instead, he tightened her grip on her hand.

"Consider this as my first favor from you." He said gently. "Hold hands with me, Ga Eul-yang." _Forever._ He had wanted to add, but instead he said, "Just for the duration of our stay here in Greece."

"Are you… what… I mean…" Yi Jeong's action was slowly turning her into a babbling idiot. "What?"

"I just want to hold hands."

Ga Eul still can't seem to formulate anything in retort. She just continued to stare at Yi Jeong and then to their joined hands and then back to his face. They had stopped walking a while ago. Yi Jeong saw that the whole gang had already walked pass them.

"C'mon, Ga Eul-yang. We'll be left behind." This time, Yi Jeong adjusted his hand and intertwined his fingers with Ga Eul's. He then pulled slightly at her as he walked forward, ignoring Ga Eul's still stunned face. He then heard Ga Eul's step settled evenly alongside his.

If he were to see himself, holding a girl's straw hat on his left hand while walking hand-in-hand with a girl with his right, and smiling like there was no tomorrow, he would have thought of himself as a guy very much in love. And if he were to comment on that, he'd simply say the truth. _Absolutely. And irrevocably. _

The whole gang continued their street tour; once in a while stopping if they came across an interesting shop or when they wanted to try the food of some food store. All this time, Yi Jeong held onto Ga Eul's hand and did not let go. When he would point at something interesting, he would still hold Ga Eul's hand up with his and point with his finger. As the minutes had passed, Yi Jeong had felt Ga Eul's nervousness subside and she was laughing and telling stories again.

Once in a while, he would take a peek at their intertwined hands and smile to himself. He mentally scolded himself for acting like a teenager. But then he couldn't stop himself from smiling even if he wanted to, which he didn't. He never really held hands with a girl before, at least, not like this. During his Casanova days, he didn't feel the need to. Girls were coming on to him like vultures but all they did was clung to his arms. He guessed this was another unique experience for him, all thanks to Ga Eul again.

"Hey guys, I think this is it." Jaekyung called out. She motioned on a small, nondescript two-story structure, with stucco finishing as well. The store's name was in Greek but they could see the displays by the two windows on opposite sides. There were potteries and ceramics of all kinds.

"Wah, Sunbae, I think you'll have fun in there. C'mon." Ga Eul said. This time it was she who pulled at his hand. They all entered the quaint shop and the tinkling of a chime echoed inside the quiet space as they entered one by one.

Just then, a young man appeared through the swinging doors at the back of the room. "Hello. May I help you?" he greeted.

"Oh, we're just looking around." Ga Eul, who was nearest to the back, replied.

"Okay. If you guys are interested, there are still a number of items here at the back. I'm just finishing something so if you'll just excuse me for a minute. Feel free to look around." The guy offered. It was then that they all noticed that he was wearing an apron, his shoulder-length hair was pulled back from his face by a bandana on his forehead, and his hands were covered with clay. He looked like a potter himself.

The whole gang took their time going around the shop looking at the pieces on display. After that, they all went to the back of the store, accepting the invitation from the young man who welcomed them. At the sound of their footsteps, the young man, who was working on clay, looked up.

"Oh, okay. Just about done. Hold on." He then began to tidy his workplace and washed his hands clean. "Well, we have here a rare collection. I'm glad you were interested enough to take a look. Most people would just look at the displays outside and then leave if they do not have anything they like." He then motioned them to a connecting room that was now serving as a private showcase room. It was a small collection and Yi Jeong's curiosity seemed to have been piqued. And the whole gang decided to just take a look at the pieces.

"These paintings are really something, aren't they?" Jaekyung asked, motioning to the canvasses hanging on the walls. They were all paintings depicting people's backs. There were no faces but each painting held a distinct and unique quality that made something so faceless seem so personal.

"Oh, those? Those are works of a friend. If you want one, I can hook you up with him so you can discuss what you want." The young man said.

"I can't believe those uncles of yours are still bothering you about it. I thought they were totally fine with it." A young man entered the back entrance and he stopped in his tracks when he saw that they've got company. "Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't know there were people in here."

"Well, this is the artist I was telling you about. This is Mira. And silly me, I haven't introduced myself yet. My name is Ardin. Mira, this young miss is interested in your paintings. Why don't you set a date?"

"Ah, I don't think that will be necessary." Woobin interjected.

"What are you talking about, Woobin-ah? Mira, please, I'd love to hear about your work and I was wondering if you would do several pieces for me." Jaekyung countered.

"Sure. Of course." Mira answered.

"Perfect." Jaekyung said excitedly.

Woobin grunted in response and Jaekyung shot him a dagger look. The rest laughed at the exchange except for Yi Jeong. He was busy gazing intently at a certain piece of ceramics, a medium-sized broach shaped like a woman's head.

"See anything you like, Sir?" It was Ardin, talking beside him.

"Can I take a look at this one?" Yi Jeong pointed to the broach.

"You have a good eye, sir."

"Wait, don't tell me this has a story behind it?"

"How did you know?"

"I don't. It just always goes like that."

"Well, would you like to hear the story?"

"Sure, why not."

"You could have spared us from this, monkey."

"Shut up and stay still, Woobin-ah." Jaekyung replied.

The whole gang was standing at the balcony of their private villa, overlooking the blue Aegean sea.

"Please try to not make too many movements." Mira called out from behind them.

They were doing a group painting for the afternoon. After they met Ardin and Mira at the store, Jaekyung invited them both to lunch to discuss the work she wanted done. It turned out that Jaekyung wanted a group painting of the whole gang as a remembrance of their trip to Greece. The others thought Mira wouldn't take on the job; there were seven of them for crying out loud. But much to their surprise, he enthusiastically accepted the job.

So there they were, all seven of them, standing at different poses by the balcony. Yi Jeong, Ga Eul, Woobin, Jaekyung, Junpyo, Jandi, and Jihoo. And because it was a back painting, all of them were facing the sea, their backs to Mira.

"Try to hold on to your poses and I'll work as quick as I can."

"Okay." They all chorused.

Jihoo was standing with his hands behind his back. Junpyo had his arm around Jandi's shoulders while she had her arm around across his back and on his waist. Surprisingly, Jaekyung did not give Woobin a hard time when he pulled her hand and hooked it on his arm. Yi Jeong had his left hand in his pocket but his other hand was entwined with Ga Eul's.

"I'll try to finish soon." Mira shouted.

"Take your time." Yi Jeong said, half-seriously, half jokingly.

"Yah!" The rest of them shouted back at Yi Jeong.


	13. Chapter 12

_A gift to the art world._ That is what Korea and the people in the art circle have dubbed So Yi Jeong's hands and talent. They said his hands have created not just art but masterpieces.

Yi Jeong lifted his right hand in front of his face. It looks like every other hand he's ever seen and yet he knows what his hand can form. It has molded so many pieces from clay, he's lost count. And through these pieces of his creation, he has felt a sense of pride, accomplishment, and happiness. He thought he had experienced happiness but then yesterday just proved one thing to him: what he had felt in the past had only been a hint of the truth, a sample of the whole. Because for the first time, he realized that happiness can be much bigger than what he has ever felt before; the kind that fills your being with, as dreamy and cheesy as it may sound, happy thoughts and strong feelings.

He felt like he was holding his life, his happiness, his world, in his hands. And in a way, he truly was.

_This hand held hers yesterday._ Yi Jeong thought, his smile spreading on his face. He can still recall Ga Eul's warm hands, the light pressure when she pulled at his.

"Please tell me you just thought of something really, really funny, that's why your smile is reaching behind your ears." It was Woobin, who just entered his room with Jihoo in tow.

"Let's just say I just really had a happy thought."

"Are you learning to fly?" Jihoo asked.

Yi Jeong paused. "Hmm, why not?" He stood from his bed and walked over to the balcony. He thought he could hear the faint sounds of laughter two balconies away. _Must be the girls._ "Although, I think I already am." He added, turning to face his buddies.

"Yah, my man. You are turning into such a softie right before our very eyes."

"No Junpyo again?" Yi Jeong asked, mentioning the absence of the Shinhwa heir. The two nodded.

"Let me guess. He kidnapped Jandi away from the girls again." The two nodded again.

"You want me to kidnap Jaekyung so you can have Ga Eul all to yourself?" Woobin asked, his smirking face betraying the serious tone of his voice.

Yi Jeong laughed at that. "Thanks, man. Although I think _you_ actually want _me_ to kidnap Ga Eul so _you_ can have Jaekyung all to yourself." He teased.

"Well, you can do that too. Either way, works for both of us." Although Woobin's fast acquiesce surprised him a bit as it was the first time Woobin replied anything positive on the matter, Yi Jeong smiled in understanding at his friend's quip.

"How about I just kidnap both Jaekyung and Ga Eul and leave the two of you alone?" Jihoo suddenly asked.

"Yah!" Casanova and Don Juan reacted rather violently.

Don Juan gave a little smirk. "As if you could carry that out. I bet you'll be too busy kidnapping a clueless waitress."

"Wait, hold on. Jihoo will be busy doing what?" Yi Jeong asked. Both he and Woobin looked at Jihoo but his face still betrayed no emotions.

"He'll be busy spending time with a girl." Woobin answered.

"Am I missing something here?" Yi Jeong asked, perplexed.

"You're not." Jihoo answered tentatively. "Don Juan here is just making idle talk." He added.

_Interesting. A few words don't mean much. But coming from Jihoo, they usually meant a lot._ Yi Jeong thought. He knew his friend was a person of few words. And what he just said should not mean anything. But the way he said them, it seemed like he's dodging a topic he clearly doesn't want to discuss, making the topic much more intriguing and mysterious.

He inwardly chuckled. Finally, there's a girl other than Jandi in Jihoo's life, whoever that girl may be. If she could make Jihoo be this way, although unconsciously, she's okay in Yi Jeong's book.

"All right. Let's go guys and do some kidnapping." Woobin interjected.

"Dude, that statement's wrong on so many levels." Yi Jeong said. Jihoo just chuckled.

"Shut up, man. And let's just go." Woobin answered defensively.

* * *

"This is called kidnapping, you know."

"Not when the other party's willing."

"Well, the other party's absolutely not."

"Well, I can see you walking just fine with me."

"No. Not me walking. More like you dragging me."

"Aww. I'm hurt, Ga Eul-yang. I would never drag you to anywhere you don't want to go to."

"Then what do you call this, sunbae?" Ga Eul asked, gesturing towards the firm hold Yi Jeong has on her hand.

"Uhm, holding hands?" Yi Jeong said. "And besides, you don't even know where we're going to not like it already."

"Exactly. I don't even know where we're going."

"It's a surprise. Just, humor me, Ga Eul-yang."

"Fine." Ga Eul acquiesced.

"Thank you." Yi Jeong said in earnest.

"Can I at least know where you're taking me?"

"Uh, Ga Eul-yang, what in surprise do you not understand?" Yi Jeong joked affectionately. He continued walking, holding Ga Eul's hand gently in his, again; their footsteps making sounds against the wooden boardwalk. But then he was slightly pulled back.

"Sunbae…"

When he looked back, Ga Eul had stopped walking and was staring straight ahead, eyes glazed and mouth slightly hanging open.

"Why did you open your eyes?"

Ga Eul blinked her eyes and turned them to the man who was asking weird questions.

"Uhm, I wasn't aware that I was even supposed to close them."

"Ah, right. I forgot to tell you. Well, close your eyes."

"Can I at least appreciate the sky tonight?"

"No." And then Yi Jeong gave a laugh at Ga Eul's pouting face. "When we get to your surprise, you'll have all the time to gaze at the sky," he added.

"Alright. I trust you, sunbae." Ga Eul acquiesced again and closed her eyes. She was waiting for Yi Jeong to pull at her hand. There was no movement so she opened an eye and took a peek. And found Yi Jeong just staring at her.

She slightly tugged at his hand. "Sunbae, is something wrong?"

That brought Yi Jeong out of his reverie. "Ah, I'm okay. Just zoned out for a bit there," he said and then cleared his throat.

He then continued to lead her, eyes closed, to their destination.

"I'm guessing we're not on land anymore?" Ga Eul asked fifteen minutes later as she felt the swaying movements beneath her sandals.

"Maybe," was the only reply from Yi Jeong. He led her to sit and guided her hand around a railing. Ga Eul heard the sound of engine starting up and then her hand unconsciously tightened around the railing as she felt herself move with whatever it is that they are on at that moment. A boat, perhaps, she guessed. She felt the wind against her face and she could hear Yi Jeong's movements. How she knew it was him was beyond her. But somehow she knew he was just close by.

After a few minutes, she felt the boat halt to a stop and heard the engines die down. She then felt a hand slowly unclasp her grip on the railing.

"Your surprise is ready for you, Ga Eul-yang." Yi Jeong whispered in her ear. "Are you ready?"

"Yes. I think I am, sunbae."

"Okay. Don't go teary-eyed on me now Ga Eul-yang for the awesome-ness that is your surprise." Yi Jeong joked. Ga Eul laughed out loud.

"I'll try my best not to, sunbae." Ga Eul answered, following along his joke.

"Okay, that's good enough for me. You can open your eyes now." Yi Jeong said.

And Ga Eul opened her eyes to one of the most beautiful sights she has ever seen in her life. She was looking at the distant but striking landscape of Santorini. The random lights from the houses and other structures dotted the majestic rock formation. They were far enough from the shore to not hear the noise from all the hustle and bustle along the shorelines but near enough to still see the dock station. The spectacular light show was even more striking against the backdrop of the bluish-black evening sky with just hints of bright stars. They were indeed on a boat, or more specifically, a yacht. And they were surrounded with the comforting sounds of the small waves. Ga Eul could not help but gape at the sight of it all.

"Do you like your surprise?"

She turned to face Yi Jeong and with a wide smile said, "Are you kidding? I love it, sunbae. I love it. It's so beautiful." Yi Jeong just gave her a wide smile in return.

"Ah, but Ga Eul-yang, your surprise is not yet over." And then he gestured on the deck of the yacht.

* * *

"I didn't know you were the romantic type sunbae." Yi Jeong smiled. "I mean, that you were into doing cheesy and romantic stuff." Yi Jeong laughed. "Ugh, this is not coming out right, is it?"

"If you're giving me a compliment Ga Eul, I accept and thank you." Yi Jeong just smiled again.

They were now sitting on the deck of the yacht, eating the food that Yi Jeong had prepared for them: sandwiches, cold cuts, cheese, and wine.

"Most of the time I still can't believe that I'm in Greece. It's such a wonderful place to be. Have you ever been here before, sunbae?"

"I've been to Greece, just not Santorini. But that was a long time ago. I can barely remember it. We went for a family vacation and I was like, nine or ten years old."

"That was a very long time ago." Ga Eul chuckled. She stared at the great landscape in front of them again. "I bet you made lots of good memories then. I can just imagine."

"Well, I hate to break it to you, Ga Eul-yang. But if I remember correctly, we did get to make memories during that time but not the ones you would want to remember for the rest of your life." Yi Jeong said pensively.

Ga Eul stared at Yi Jeong, noticing the minute change in his countenance. She could tell he was remembering a not so good memory.

"I'm sorry, sunbae, for making assumptions like that."

"Ga Eul, there's nothing to be sorry about. You don't have to say sorry for the things that you feel. It's not like it's your fault."

"Do you want to talk about it?"

There was a pause and Ga Eul thought that he didn't want to talk about the past anymore, especially a past that involved his family.

"I think it was the last day of our family vacation. We were checking out of the hotel and waiting for my father. My mother was at the counter settling the bills and my brother and I were playing with the water in the indoor fountain near the main entrance doors in the lobby. I just saw my dad outside, walking towards the revolving doors and I called to him. He didn't hear me, probably because of the glass walls. But my mom did because when I turned around to tell her, she was already looking at my dad."

"But then I watched as her face changed expressions. Her eyes went wide and I heard her gasp as she unconsciously placed a hand over her mouth. I look outside and saw what she had seen. My father was lip-locked in an embrace with a pretty young woman."

There was a gasp and Yi Jeong looked over at Ga Eul and she had almost the exact expression as his mom. Almost. His expression softened a little; the intensity that was building up in him, remembering that cataclysmic moment, toned down a little.

"I think that was the first time my mom found out that my dad was a cheating bastard. And then everything, their marriage, our family, just went downhill from there. My father, being the great man that he thought he was, decided since then to not be discreet about his infidelities anymore. And every time my dad would leave the house and not come back after a couple of days, my mom would always ask me and my brother to bring him back to her. That was a routine my brother and I had until about the time my brother went away for college. And then I had to do it alone."

"Sunbae…" Yi Jeong turned to look at Ga Eul. Her eyes are now brimming with tears. And then the first drops started rolling down her cheeks.

"Sunbae…" she started again. Yi Jeong reached over to Ga Eul and wiped her tears with his hand.

"You're such a crybaby sometimes Ga Eul-yang." And then he gave out a laugh. That joke earned him a soft slap on the arm.

"How can you even smile at a time like this?"

"Because it's all in the past now. I'm okay and everything's okay now." Yi Jeong watched as tears continue to roll down Ga Eul's cheeks. "Will you stop crying for me?" he asked softly. "I never want to see you cry. Especially because of me."

"I'm sorry, sunbae. Somehow, I can't help it."

"You don't have to be sorry, Ga Eul."

"I just…" she choked back on her tears a little and then continued, "I just wish I was there for you, back then."

Yi Jeong stared intently at Ga Eul, his heart constricting a bit because of her words. He really has zero chance of recovery because he felt himself falling and falling harder for her. It still amazes him sometimes that he could still feel himself love her more and more when he already loves her so much.

"But you were, Ga Eul. You were there for me. You probably didn't know then but I want you to know now. You were there with me. And you might have had just saved me. You probably still don't know it but you changed my life when you became a part of it. Thank you."

"Sunbae…" Ga Eul started and before he knew it, she had her arms around him. He was immobilized for a second but he recovered and returned the hug, reveling in the fact that Ga Eul was in his arms. He could still feel her sniffling a little.

"You know what I wish for right now? Hmm?" he whispered. He felt her shake her head.

"I wish you wouldn't, never, cry anymore. Not unless there were from happiness." He answered, rubbing her back gently. "Do you think my wish will be granted?"

Ga Eul pulled back a little, looked at Yi Jeong's face, and nodded her head in earnest. And although she had already stopped crying, there were still traces of tears on her cheeks. Yi Jeong raised both hands to her face, his thumbs wiping the tears away. He stared at the face of the lovely girl, mesmerized and seemingly memorizing every feature: her cute eyebrows, her eyes that are still a little wet, her long eyelashes, her nose and finally her lips. His mind suddenly remembered a similar situation years ago in his studio when those same features were that close to him.

He knew exactly how he wanted to say thank-you to Ga Eul. Rather than just say the words, he slowly closed the gap between their faces. He felt her shiver and rather than saw, he felt her eyes widen a bit in surprise or anxiety or maybe a little bit of both. He dropped his head and whispered, "Thank you for still caring for me this much, Ga Eul." And then he placed a kiss on the corner of Ga Eul's mouth, lingered a bit and then pulled slightly away. Ga Eul had a surprised look on her face, her brows furrowed a little and he couldn't help but pinch her face a bit.

Yi Jeong cleared his throat and said, "You're too lovely for your own good Ga Eul." He turned to his side and reached for a small blanket and placed it around Ga Eul. The evening wind was picking up now and he could see goose bumps on her arms. He felt her eyes on him and he tried his best to remain composed even while his heart is beating a mile per minute. He could even feel his cheeks burning. And then he realized that he was probably blushing. So Yi Jeong was blushing. The world is really off its axis now. He cleared his throat again and turned towards the landscape again.

Ga Eul who was still staring wide-eyed at Yi Jeong until then, regained her composure and let out a hint of smile. She then followed his lead and also turned to face the landscape. But she didn't move away from him, not when they were sitting side by side: Yi Jeong with his arms settled on his bended legs and she with her hands on her lap, legs stretched out with her feet crossed at the ankles. And she felt she didn't have to.

Yi Jeong cleared his throat again. And then again. And again.

"Is there something wrong with your throat, sunbae?" Ga Eul asked.

He cleared his throat again before answering. "Nothing." Ahem. "I think."

"Be careful, sunbae. If you keep doing that, you might end up with a weird habit and then where will you be?" Ga Eul teased.

"Haha, that's funny Ga Eul-yang. It's just that for some reason my throat feels all dried up."

Ga Eul gave out a laugh and reached for a glass of wine. "Here you go, sunbae. Drink up and re-hydrate for your throat."

"Thanks." He said, accepting the glass. He took a sip and then paused. "Hmm, why don't we make a toast?"

Ga Eul took note of the boyish smile that Yi Jeong was sporting at the moment and she couldn't help but smile back. He seemed excited about the toast so she got her wine glass as well.

"How about you make the first toast and then I'll make the next one." Yi Jeong suggested.

"Alright. Hmm.." Ga Eul paused, thinking of a myriad of things she's thankful and happy about. And then she took a look around her, quickly surveying the magnificent landscape, the nice dinner-snack and then the person sitting beside her. "Here's to a wonderful night with a wonderful person." Then she raised her glass and it tinkled against Yi Jeong's glass as they both said, "Cheers."

"You're all sweetness, Ga Eul." Yi Jeong teased. "And thank you. Now it's my turn. Hmm… Here's to…" he paused a bit. "Here's to you and me."

Then Ga Eul chuckled, to both their surprise. She immediately covered her mouth.

"You did not just laugh at my toast." Yi Jeong said, half-jokingly.

"I'm sorry, sunbae." Ga Eul apologized, still trying to reign in her laughter. "It's just that it's so gooey and cheesy. I just can't process right now that those words just came from you.

"Yah! Chu Ga Eul!" Yi Jeong said feigning irritation.

"Forgive me, sunbae." Ga Eul apologized again and then cleared her throat after she had another bout of laughter. "Just wait a moment." Ga Eul said and then placed her fingers against her temples. "Still processing, processing, processing." She chanted, her eyebrows creased a bit in concentration, her eyes closed. "Processed." She exclaimed as she opened her eyes. Yi Jeong laughed out loud.

"Now that I've already processed the fact that those words really came from you, here's what I have to say. You're all sweetness too, sunbae. And here's to you and me." And she raised her glass to Yi Jeong.

"To you and me." Yi Jeong answered, raising his glass in return.


	14. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

"Waah! It's so pretty!"

"I know. It looks like something out of a painting."

"It really is something."

Jaekyung, Ga Eul and Jandi all gushed at the sight of one of the most famous beaches in Santorini. There were a lot of tourists enjoying the same beach but the crowd didn't bother them because the sight was enough to keep them there.

On the other hand, the boys were caught somewhere in between enjoying the scene and wanting to leave. They didn't speak out loud but the voices in their heads were saying similar things. The beach would have been great if not for the dozens of pairs of eyes that kept straying to three particular women.

The girls' choice of swimwear or lack thereof was enough to cause irritation for the F4. Junpyo had no problems confronting guys who so even glance at Jandi. The men there hardly have any idea who Junpyo was but one stare from him was enough to send them glancing at the opposite direction, and fast.

Jihoo had an especially great time watching various expressions of irritation, tolerance, restraint, anger, and rage flash across Woobin's and Yi Jeong's faces when it came to Jaekyung and Ga Eul. When the girls revealed what they were wearing the moment they stepped on the beach, Jihoo could feel, even without him looking that his two best buddies instantly went on high alert.

No staring, No talking, and Definitely No touching, their eyes warned. They might as well post a sign board on the girls. Anyone who violates will be dealt with accordingly and in the most severe manner. All that emotion with just the look in their eyes.

Jihoo thought his two best friends were walking contradictions at that time. Both were infamous in their own histories with the opposite sex and the strings and strings of girls that they've met in the span of their bachelor days. And so to see them act, dare he say, conservative; admonishing Jaekyung and Ga Eul, albeit subtly, about their choice of swimwear, was really a sight to behold. Imagine Don Juan and Casanova wanting to cover a girl up because they said she was showing too much skin.

"You're joking right?"

"What do you mean, sunbae?" Ga Eul asked.

"What I mean is…" he started, trying to frame his question carefully. "Don't you think what you're wearing right now…" he started, treading carefully with his words, "… is just a little bit…"

"A little bit, what?" Ga Eul asked, purposely trying to get an answer from him even though she already knew what he was trying to get at.

"You know, that's a bit too much skin." Yi Jeong finally said. He couldn't believe it when he saw what Ga Eul was wearing. She had removed the shirt she had been wearing and revealed a one-piece swimsuit, as if cut on the sides because the left and right side of the waist revealed skin. He breathed out a sigh of relief, thanking the heavens that at least she had decided to wear white shorts. Really, short shorts if you asked him.

"It's the beach, sunbae. Are you expecting me to wear a sweater?"

_Hmm, sure why not?_ Yi Jeong thought in reply. "Not exactly…" he started, trying to find a way to reason with her. Although it would be later when he would realize that he was the one being less reasonable. "Why don't you wear the same one you had when we all went to New Caledonia?"

Ga Eul gave a soft laugh. "Seriously, sunbae. That was like too many years ago. I don't even remember what I wore."

"Don't you remember? You wore a white mini-tshirt or something over your bikini top." Yi Jeong supplied.

Now Ga Eul laughed out loud. "Omo, you still remember what I wore back then, sunbae?"

Yi Jeong cleared his throat. "Well, I have great memory." He shifted his eyes towards the waters, avoiding Ga Eul's eyes.

"So it seems, sunbae." Ga Eul answered, amused and a little touched.

"Well, those were pretty on you then. It should be the same until now." Yi Jeong answered. He glanced back and saw Ga Eul smile at the compliment. That made him smile too.

For the rest of the morning, the whole gang enjoyed each other's company, playing by the beach or in the water. They broke for lunch but resumed their fun games and sunbathing. By mid-afternoon, they were joined by Mira, the one who did their group painting and Ardin, the owner of the pottery shop they once visited. They came to formally give the finished painting to Jaekyung and she invited them to stay with them for a while.

It became apparent that Mira and Ardin were quite knowledgeable about the particular beach and they turned out to be more of tourist guides rather than invited guests. They showed the rest of the gang around, pointing to small landmarks and taking them to various shops by the beach that boasted of different specialties.

They have all just entered an ice cream parlor bustling with activity. The chatter of the customers can't be missed but nevertheless was in a tolerable volume.

"If you haven't eaten ice cream here yet, you haven't eaten ice cream at all." Mira started, leading the gang to the counter to one of the few tables that weren't occupied yet.

"Wow. This is great." Jaekyung, a self-proclaimed ice cream fanatic, exclaimed in glee. The whole gang just smiled at that, knowing Jaekyung and her love of ice creams. "I can already taste the ice cream in the air."

"How you manage to do that is beyond me, monkey." Woobin teased.

"If you don't zip that mouth of yours, Don Juan, you're going to have to swallow a load full of ice cream later when I shove them in your face." Jaekyung threatened.

"Hey, no need to be so violent, monkey. All you have to do is ask if you want to feed me, you know." Woobin teased once more.

"Urgh. Woobin-ah, sometimes you're just so… urgh!"

Just then, the waiter came and handed out the menu. The various kinds of ice cream, gellato, and crepe earned a number of ooh's and ahh's from Jaekyung and even from Jandi and Ga Eul.

Ga Eul was having a hard time choosing amongst the wide variety of flavors as she was scanning through the colorful and pictured menu.

"You should definitely try this one, Ga Eul." It was Ardin and he leaned slightly to point to a picture of a chocolate hot fudge sundae with a twist of nuts and your own choice of berries.

Yi Jeong cleared his throat.

"Ohh." Ga Eul gushed slightly at the picture. "That does look scrumptious."

"Or maybe you could try this one." Mira suggested again as he pointed to another picture of a strawberry flavored one. "It's one of the bestsellers."

"Ohh." Ga Eul was in awe again. And for the next few minutes, Ardin continued to point at one delicious-looking ice cream to another while Ga Eul and the other two girls continued with their one-syllable replies.

Jaekyung finally exclaimed, "Ah, I can't choose. They all look so yummy."

"That's because you're such a pig with ice creams, monkey."

"Oh! Oh! You did not just call me pig, Woobin-ah."

"Oh, but I did, monkey."

That cut the last threat of patience that Jaekyung seemed to have held for Woobin and the rest of the gang knew that what would come would be pain, physical pain for Woobin as Jaekyung extended her arm and twisted Woobin's ear.

"Oww!" Woobin grimaced slightly. When he saw that Jaekyung's on the move to twist his other ear, he raised his arms and gently stopped Jaekyung's.

"Wait, wait. I'm not yet finished." He reasoned.

"Oh, you still aren't finished, are you?"

"Yes. Look, when I say you're a pig, " at that Jaekyung wriggled her arm out of Woobin's hold and went to strike again but Woobin's reflex was faster, "Wait, let me finish." He caught her hand in his again, gently.

"When I say you're a pig, I say it with love?" Woobin finally said.

"Oww!" Woobin exclaimed again because this time Jaekyung succeeded in twisting his other ear.

"That doesn't change anything, you, you, you womanizer!" Jaekyung answered, finally deciding on an adjective to retort as she was a little lost for words after hearing the words "pig" and "love" in the same sentence come out from Woobin's mouth. The man was infuriating, Jaekyung thought.

"Okay, break it up, break it up, _children_." The gang turned to see that it was Junpyo who spoke with much emphasis on the word 'children'. He also had this look on his face as if he were really talking to and lecturing children because of bad behavior.

"Says the man-child, who fights with a sick, young boy for wanting to spend more time with his fiancé, who's the kid's doctor." Woobin counter-attacked.

"Yah!" Junpyo shouted in retaliation. At that, their whole table just erupted into laughter.

* * *

"Wah! This is so delicious!." Jaekyung exclaimed for what seemed like the hundredth time. "Thank you, Mira. Thank you Ardin. This is a great place. Truly." Jaekyung seemed to blabber, all the while eating her beloved ice cream.

"This is really something." Ga Eul also gushed. In the end, she opted to order the strawberry sundae.

"I told you so." Ardin replied with a smile.

Yi Jeong cleared his throat.

"Ardin and I have been here many times and we still can't get enough of how these ice creams can taste so good." Ardin explained, addressing the whole group.

"That one's really my favorite." Ardin added, gesturing towards Ga Eul's order. "I'm glad you like it." He said to Ga Eul.

Yi Jeong cleared his throat again. "So, what did you order then Ardin?" Yi Jeong asked. He was seated in front of Ga Eul.

"Well, I opted for my second favorite, the 'Margarita dreamboat'." Ardin answered. "Do you want a taste, Ga Eul?" he asked.

Yi Jeong cleared his throat for the third time.

"Here you go." Yi Jeong heard Ardin say. When he looked up from his glass, he saw Ardin holding a spoon towards Ga Eul. And he choked on his ice cream, right then.

"Sunbae." Ga Eul said, her concern washing over him even as he was coughing. _At least the ice cream didn't get eaten_. Yi Jeong thought, as he looked at Ardin's spoonful of ice cream. Jihoo was tapping his back and his coughs subsided. _Saved._ He thought again. He looked up once more and his eyes met with Ardin's. He blinked twice because he thought he saw a ghost of a smile on Ardin's face but it was gone the next second.

* * *

"Can you at least hurry up?"

"Why did you have to bring home so many things?"

"What are you talking about? That's not even half of my things."

"These are not exactly lightweight, monkey."

"I didn't know you were the whiny type, Woobin. Ah, wait, on second thought, I think I do. Man-up, Don Juan."

The whole gang The rest of the gang watched as Jaekyung successfully turned the so-called F4 mafia prince into her personal luggage carrier. They could not help but laugh out loud at the scene. Woobin heard them and turned around, bag straps, trolleys, and all and gave them a death glare or his version of it at least.

"Hurry up, Don Juan." Jaekyung shouted when she turned around and saw that Woobin had stopped walking.

"Yah, monkey! You are so loud. And why are you in such a hurry, when the rest of the gang is behind us? It's not like your private plane will run out of seats for you, woman."

"Do you really want to talk back to me today, Woobin-ah?" Jaekyung asked sarcastically, a gloating/devilish smile hovering on her pretty face. "Or do you want me to remind you of what we've agreed on yesterday?"

"You are such a brat, sometimes, Jaekyung."

"Well, I wasn't the one who started all these. Are you going back on your word?" asked Jaekyung, who was smiling smugly at Woobin.

"What's up with you two?" Yi Jeong asked, when the rest of the gang caught up with them and heard a bit of Jaekyung's last statement.

"Nothing." Woobin answered swiftly. "Let's just go." He added, his voice registering slight irritation.

"What is up with those two?" Yi Jeong wondered again.

"Hmm?"

Yi Jeong's eyes fell on Ga Eul who was walking beside him. She was currently rummaging through her bag. He guessed she heard him whispering to himself. He automatically reached for her other shoulder bag, the one she had refused to give to him earlier when he had asked for it when they stepped out from the car, and carried it on his shoulder. He took note with a slight smile that it was easier just taking the bag than asking to carry it for her. He was sure she was about to protest so he spoke again.

"Woobin and Jaekyung are acting a little bit strange."

"Really?"

"Really. You don't think so?"

Ga Eul looked ahead and saw Jaekyung and Woobin at a distance, looking like they were bickering again and then turned to Yi Jeong. "I don't. I mean, they've always been like that, right?"

Yi Jeong shrugged. "Well, I just didn't know that they have become that close."

"Well, you did miss a lot, sunbae." Ga Eul said and belatedly regretted saying so. She noticed that Yi Jeong's face turned somber and she heard him say in a quiet voice, "Yeah. Yeah, I guess I did."

Ga Eul glanced worriedly at Yi Jeong. "But you're here now, right? I mean, it's the present that's important, don't you think? Plus, those two bickering all day long is not something you would want to watch on a daily basis. I tell you, it can consume your energy."

Ga Eul saw the beginning of a smile from Yi Jeong's face.

"Sometimes I feel that they suck your energy from your body so they can have more to go against each other. It's crazy."

Then Ga Eul heard Yi Jeong laughed at that.

"I can imagine that. Just watching them from afar like this is enough to sap some of my energy out." Yi Jeong said.

"See, I told you."

"It's just that everyday I feel sorry for not having been here all this time. With you. With everybody else."

"I'm sure you had your reasons," Ga Eul said, clearing her throat a bit. "Well, from now on, just think of how you're going to make up to us for all the time you weren't here." She teased.

"That's exactly what I'm trying to do."

"Then, it's all good, sunbae."

Yi Jeong looked at Ga Eul's smiling face, her eyes shaping into familiar crescents. "Thanks, Ga Eul-yang." He said. And before he could stop himself, he softly pinched the bridge of her nose between his fingers, and added, "You're an angel."

Ga Eul wrinkled her nose at that but she was all smiles. She felt a set of arms link with hers and she turned to see Jandi.

"Hey, there. Please be my seatmate on our flight home, Ga Eul."

"What are you talking about, woman?" It was Junpyo, appearing at Yi Jeong's side. "You mean, you're not planning to stay with your fiancée?"

"Well, I haven't talked to Ga Eul in a while." Jandi reasoned.

"What? Then what do you call all your girl-talks during this whole trip?" Junpyo asked.

That made Jandi paused for a moment. She could not think of an answer to Junpyo's inquest so she just retaliated in the way she knows how: by ignoring the topic altogether. "It's none of your business." And with that she pulled at Ga Eul through their linked arms, trying to get ahead of the two boys.

"Yah! You can't think of anything to say just now, can you?" Junpyo shouted at Jandi, his voice with a teasing tone. "But still, you're not going anywhere without me." And with that Junpyo began to slightly pull at Ga Eul's opposite arm.

"Yah! Let go of my best friend right now, Gu Junpyo." Jandi instructed.

"No, you let go." Junypo replied adamantly.

"No, you."

"No, you."

All the time, they're both tugging at Ga Eul's arms. "Uhm guys, I'm not some rope you can use in your petty tug of war." Ga Eul said in a calm voice, her tone just like the one she would sometimes use on her kindergarten students.

"Let her go now Gu Junpyo!" Jandi warned.

"You let go, Geum Jandi!" Junpyo answered in return.

Then they all heard a whistle. Yi Jeong stepped in. "Okay, you guys. Isn't this just a little bit childish? Even for the both of you." And with that he proceeded to unlink first, Junpyo's arms with Ga Eul's and then Jandi's. He placed his arm around Ga Eul's shoulders and turned to face his friends.

"I have a better plan." He said, smiling widely. "I'll go with Ga Eul while you two go together. How's that sound? Just right? I thought so too. It's settled then. Let's go." And with that Yi Jeong and Ga Eul left a slightly dumbfounded couple.

"You are such a child, sometimes Gu Junpyo."

"Well, you're no different then, Geum Jandi."

"Urgh! You're impossible."

"But you still love me."

"No, I don't."

"Yah! That's not even funny."

"Well, I'm not going for funny, more like the truth."

"Yah!"

Ga Eul and Yi Jeong laughed at the couple's unique conversation. They looked behind and saw that Jandi had started walking ahead of Junpyo, ignoring his calls of "Yah!"

"I'm not going to leave until you come back here." Junpyo threatened.

"Fine." Jandi simply answered.

"I mean it." Junpyo threatened again, not budging from where he was standing.

"So do I." Jandi answered, also unflinchingly.

"You have weird friends, Ga Eul-yang." Yi Jeong said, while they are both still watching how the scene between Jandi and Junpyo are playing out.

"Hey, they're you're friends too." Ga Eul admonished.

"Well, not at the moment." Yi Jeong answered, looking around the airport and noting a number of people starting to watch their friends as well.

"That's cruel, sunbae." Ga Eul chided playfully.

"Jandi-ah!" They turned towards Junpyo again, who was still calling for Jandi but to no avail. "Jandi!" Jandi kept on walking.

"Jagiya! (darling/honey!)" Junpyo said firmly. Well, that stopped Jandi on her tracks. Yi Jeong and Ga Eul watched as a soft smile began to spread on Jandi's face. Jandi turned around and walked back towards Junpyo. A wide smile then appeared on Junpyo's face as he watched Jandi approach him. Junpyo said something but it was already inaudible across the big space and then to both Yi Jeong's and Ga Eul's surprise, Jandi hooked her arm on Junpyo's and they started walking together. They both watched as the engaged couple draw near.

"Aren't you guys coming already?" Junpyo asked, as if all the preceding drama never happened.

Yi Jeong and Ga Eul just stared at the two. They turned to face each other and after a short pause, started laughing.

"You have strange friends, sunbae." Ga Eul said, catching her voice and wiping some of her tears.

"Yah, they're your friends too, Ga Eul-yang.

* * *

Yi Jeong settled comfortably in his seat. He mentally thanked Jandi and Junpyo because he got to sit with Ga Eul during the flight back to Seoul. But even without their indirect assistance, he would have asked her anyway.

He watched as Ga Eul still marveled at the diminishing view of Greece by the window seat as the plane ascended the skies. She had this serene and content look on her face that made him smile just at the sight of her. It has been a long time since he had taken a vacation. And this time around was extra special because he got to spend more time with all his friends. And with Ga Eul, of course.

His mind wandered back to last night's dinner and it brought an amused smile to his lips. He wouldn't have thought about it. And to think he had been so jealous and protective.

The whole gang, well, Jaekyung particularly, had decided that they should go all out since it was their last night. This meant dinner at the most expensive restaurant and then nightclubbing afterwards.

It had also been a long time since he visited the latter. The flashing lights and loud music had him grimacing and that did not go unnoticed by his friends, who made several jabs at him.

"Look who's no longer used to this kind of scene." Woobin chided.

"I never thought I would see this day come." Jihoo added.

"Oh, shut up." He had shouted.

"Didn't they have these kinds of clubs in Sweden, sunbae?" Jandi asked.

He had stolen a glance at Ga Eul, who was also watching him, before he replied, "Well, they did. I just wasn't interested in going there. Besides, I had a lot of things I had on my mind that I needed to do."

"Right, like looking every night at pictures of Ga-"

"Okay, let's just go and enjoy our last night in Greece!" He cut off Junpyo's mouth as he covered it with his hand and placed an arm around his friend to steer him ahead of the group. "Announce it louder, why don't you." Yi Jeong whispered to Junpyo.

"Oops. My bad, man." Junpyo replied. "Why don't you just tell her everything?" he asked.

"I will. In due time." Junpyo gave him a pointed stare. "Okay, soon. I will tell her soon. I just need the perfect timing. So I would appreciate it if you don't preempt me."

"Yi Jeong, every time you're with her is the perfect timing."

That had stopped him in his tracks. He looked at Junpyo like he had just grown another head, which seemed like the case since he just uttered something that really made sense. Probably the second head's doing.

"Thanks, Junpyo. I'll keep that in mind." He will. And he couldn't believe they had that conversation inside a club.

After a few rounds of drinks and moments at the dance floor, they were joined by the familiar faces of Ardin and Mira. Again. If Jaekyung had not clarified that she had invited the two to join them, he would have thought they were following them around. He had nothing against them. Well, not entirely true. He did have a slight issue about Ardin who he had acutely noticed to be getting pretty chummy with the girls, and that included Ga Eul. Too chummy, in his opinion.

He had enough guts in him to admit, even just to himself, that the green-eyed monster was definitely making its presence known.

"If looks could kill, you'll be a criminal now. Ease up on the eyes daggers, Yi Jeong." Woobin told him. They refocused their attention to the dance floor, where the three girls were dancing with Mira and Ardin.

He knew he should keep his jealousy in check. After all, they were dancing as a group. But as weird as it may sound, his eyes are close to physically hurting just by looking at Ga Eul dance with another guy. When Ardin loosely placed an arm around Ga Eul's waist, he could no longer restrain himself.

"That's it." He said, downing the rest of his drink in one gulp and then headed for the dance floor.

Woobin shouted something after him but the music drowned out his voice and he didn't stop walking until he had reached them. When he did, he permanently lodged himself between Ga Eul. And well, every other man. While dancing with the rest. It was not an easy task. But every time Ga Eul would look up at him with her smiling face or just dance with him, it was worth it.

It was a little after two in the morning when they exited the club. They walked around for a bit. Some of the shops have closed already but most of the clubs, pubs, and cafés were still open. They turned right at a street corner and were surprised with the sight of a plaza that housed more dining shops. Even in the early hours of the morning, there were a number of people present and the place was still bustling with activity. And situated at the center of the plaza was a magnificent fountain adorned with sculptures of what he could only surmise as depictions of Greek gods.

As they approach the fountain, Mira began to explain the story behind it. "Now, this is a very special fountain," he started, gesturing towards the fountain with his hand. "And it's very famous both for the locals and the tourists. As some of you may have already guessed, it's dedicated to Aphrodite, the Goddess of Love in Greek mythology. It's called Aphrodite's Pond. As the legend goes, throw a coin in the fountain and make a wish to the Goddess of Love. If she sees that your heart is pure, she'll grant you your heart's desire."

"Hmm, interesting." Jandi commented.

"Does a wish have to be about love, since Aphrodite is known as the Goddess of love?" Jaekyung asked.

"Well, what is unique about this is that it doesn't have to be about romantic love alone. As the saying goes, there are different kinds of love, the love you have for your family, for your friends, for yourself." Ardin explained further.

"I think I've read about this fountain once in a magazine. If I remember correctly, there is a small shrine nearby where people share stories of how their wishes actually came true." Ga Eul shared excitedly.

"That's right, Ga Eul." Ardin replied. "That place is actually, right there at the plaza corner." He added, pointing to a well-lighted two-story structure.

"You guys should try it. It won't cost you anything. Well, maybe just a coin of whatever currency." Ardin joked.

After the girls had tossed their coins and made their wishes to Aphrodite, they then decided that the boys should take their turns as well. After much prodding, the boys did as they were told, humored the girls, and tossed their own coins into the fountain.

Yi Jeong had watched Ga Eul toss her coin and make a wish. She had closed her eyes, her hands joined in front of her. She had a hint of smile on her lips and what other people would describe as the face of a hopeless romantic, he would describe as the face of a lovely and charming young woman. She might be a romantic but she wasn't hopeless at all. He had been curious as to what she was wishing for.

_Does it have anything to do with him?_

_Did she wish for him like he'll wish for her?_ He had thought.

As they exited the plaza, he was walking beside Ga Eul when she suddenly popped a question at Ardin who was walking slightly in the front with Mira. When Ardin heard his name, he fell back to walk at the other side of Ga Eul.

"Ardin. Do you personally know anybody whose wish had come true after coming to this fountain?"

"I actually know quite a number who had claimed that their wishes were granted. But if you want some kind of proof, well, you're looking at him."

It took a moment before Ga Eul replied. "You? Your wish was granted as well, Ardin?" she had asked excitedly. Ardin nodded.

"Can I ask what kind of love did you wish about?" Yi Jeong found himself asking the question.

"Hmm, the romantic kind." Ardin answered, looking at Ga Eul and then shifting his eyes to meet Yi Jeong's, whose eyebrows are slowly drawing closer to each other.

"You see, once before," Ardin started explaining, "I wished that I could openly express my love for this person, that other people especially my family would be able to accept how I feel. And it all came true."

"That's a great story, Ardin." Jaekyung had fallen in step on the other side of Ardin.

"Is that how you and Mira came to be together?" Ga Eul asked and Ardin nodded.

_What now?_ He had thought. _Ardin and Mira?_ His eyes met Ardin's once more as realization dawned on him.

"It was quite a journey, for the both us." Ardin started sharing. "There were those periods when the rough times just kept on piling up one after the other. I didn't know what to do. Mira had to leave and we were apart for a very long time. But then I made my wish here and held on to my feelings. I didn't let go. And neither did Mira. And so we have today." Ardin finished, smiling. And so was the rest of the group.

"And the future." Mira added, taking his place at Ardin's side. They had reached their parked cars.

"Well, I know you guys still have to catch a short sleep before you fly out this afternoon. We'll bid you goodbye here." Mira said.

The girls all gave their goodbye hugs to the couple and thanked them for being such gracious tour guides.

"We had so much fun here especially after meeting the two of you." Jaekyung said. "And Mira, thank you very much for the wonderful painting."

"You're welcome. If you guys decide to come back to Greece again, call us up."

"We'll most definitely do." Woobin answered, shaking both guys' hands. The other three did as well. Yi Jeong shook Ardin's hand last. And he didn't know if it had only been his imagination but he could have sworn he heard Ardin whisper, "Go for it" to him.

The gang watched Ardin and Mira walk away.

"Who would have thought those two were together?" Yi Jeong had asked. At his question, everybody turned to look at him. They weren't saying anything but they had this look on their faces.

"Wait. Don't tell me you all knew?" Yi Jeong asked. And when they all nodded he wondered aloud how come he was the only one who didn't know.

"Well, that might have been because you refused to notice."

"What?"

"Well, to put it simply, your mind was clouded with other feelings."

"What other feelings?" he had asked. When Woobin stared at him pointedly he understood. _Ah, other feelings like his jealousy._

"Do you want me to spell it out for you?" Woobin teased.

"No need." He answered in a hurry. "C'mon let's just go home." He had said, trying to change the topic. Junpyo, Woobin, and Jaekyung had smirked at him. Jihoo and Jandi had smiled a bit. And Ga Eul had this smile on her face that was a mixture of amusement and a little bit of sympathy.

He looked over at Ga Eul and saw that she had already fallen asleep. They still had a couple of hours to go before their plane reaches Seoul. He stared at Ga Eul's sleeping form. He noticed her head was drifting slowly towards the side of her headrest so he reached across and softly guided her head to rest on his shoulder. If it were at all possible, his heart skipped a beat when Ga Eul unconsciously snuggled closer. This might just be the best time he'll spend in an airplane while waiting to reach his destination. He angled his head closer to Ga Eul's as his eyes drifted shut. _Sweet dreams, Ga Eul._


	15. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

"I still can't believe you went to Greece for vacation." Min Ji sighed. Ga Eul was eating lunch with her and Ji Won.

"Min Ji, let it go, okay. That was like three weeks ago." Ji Won interjected.

"Fine. But I keep remembering the pictures you took, Ga Eul. They were really beautiful." Min Ji explained. "And also, I still can't believe you didn't tell us about your connection to So Yi Jeong," she added, her voice caught on a whining tone. "That was some very vital information to withhold from friends." She added.

Ga Eul just smiled apologetically to her two co-teacher friends. She was welcomed back by the two with endless requests for stories and descriptions of her adventures in Santorini. Before she had left, she only told them she was going with Jan Di, whom they knew, and other people she'd known since she was in high school. It was not a complete lie, she had told herself then. She just did not mention that those other people included the heartthrob potter extraordinaire So Yi Jeong.

But guilt had been eating her inside and so she finally disclosed her little secret to her friends one afternoon a couple of days after she came back. And saying that they were shocked would be an understatement. They did not say anything for a few minutes and just stared at her. After their initial shock in silence, the following two hours had been filled with questions after questions.

_How do you know each other?_

_Since when?_

_That's why I can feel a familiar vibe between the two of you since the school fair. _

_Are you and him, you know?_

_Yes, yes. Are the two of you together? Because that would be just _awesome_. _

Min Ji and Ji Won were overflowing with questions, she instantly felt like she was on the hot seat. With a bulb light hanging over her head. And her two friends are investigators questioning her.

"Speaking of the devil." Min Ji exclaimed.

Without even turning her head, Ga Eul knew it would be Yi Jeong, just as she knew he would sit to her right, not so much because there were no other seats left in their four-seat table, but because that has been their seating arrangement, somehow, everyday during lunch.

"Min Ji, thank you very much for the delicious food you brought yesterday. It made me think of how much I'm missing home-cooked meals." Yi Jeong said, taking a seat as Ga Eul had expected.

"You're very welcome. Although you still owe us for not letting us know that you two know each other from way back." Min Ji answered.

Yi Jeong just smiled sheepishly and nodded.

"Excuse me, Seonsengnim (Teacher)." A high school student approached their table and addressed Yi Jeong. "Sir, I would just like to remind you about the club meeting after school."

"Thanks Si Won. I'll be there." Yi Jeong replied.

"You're part of a club now, sunbae?" Ga Eul inquired.

"The Art Club invited me as a sort of adviser for an upcoming project of theirs. I think it's actually a really good idea. They are planning to hold pottery classes for people who want to create their own masterpieces to give to people who are special to them."

"Aww, that's so sweet." Ji Won crooned.

"That's a great idea to promote the arts." Min Ji added.

"I guess, they'll be inviting you to teach some of the sessions, sunbae?"

"I think that's the idea. You guys should come. I mean, if you want to."

"Hmm, now that you mentioned it, I think I want to give my husband something that I personally made." Min Ji said.

"You have a husband?" Yi Jeong asked, his surprise obvious.

"Five years." Min ji proudly said, flashing her ring.

"Aww, I can still remember how your husband proposed." Ji Won crooned again. "I swear, it could have come straight from a drama."

"I haven't heard this story yet. How come?" Ga Eul asked, her curiosity most definitely piqued. Apparently, so was Yi Jeong's as he turned to Min Ji, waiting for her to answer.

"Well, it's not as exaggerated as Ji Won says." Min Ji started.

"It's not an exaggeration."

"Anyway," Min Ji continued, offering a smile to her dear friend, "it's just a simple story. My husband proposed to me during Valentine's Day."

"Wow. Valentine's Day." Ga Eul said.

"I know. It's so cliché, right? But still sweet of him to have done so."

"Tell them where. Tell them where." Ji Won said.

"Ji Won, relax would you? Let them ask the questions." And then she looked at Ga Eul and Yi Jeong pointedly.

"Okay, where did your husband proposed Min Ji?" Ga Eul asked, humoring them.

"At the Namsan stairs."

At that, Yi Jeong almost choked on his drink and Ga Eul on her food while Ji Won just squealed, "Isn't that just the sweetest thing ever?" Hearing the coughing sounds of the two, Ji Won added, "Wait, are you guys alright?"

The two nodded in unison. Yi Jeong then turned to look at Ga Eul at the same time that she looked at him. After a few seconds of looking at each other, both burst in laughter.

Ji Won and Min Ji looked at them wondering if they were really alright.

"Are we missing something?" Min Ji asked. But the two were still caught in their bouts of laughter and couldn't answer.

* * *

"Hey, you."

Ga Eul turned towards the doorway and saw Yi Jeong's face peeping through the doorway to her classroom.

"Is it time to go?" she asked.

"Can you hold that thought for a while?" he asked in return. Checking his watch, he added, "Maybe for 30 to 45 minutes more? I still have that club meeting to attend to now."

"Ah, right." Ga Eul remembered the students who spoke with Yi Jeong during lunch. "Sure, no problem. I'll just wait for you here."

"Thanks. You're the best Ga Eul-yang. See you in a bit." And then he was off.

Ga Eul just smiled at that. Sometimes, Yi Jeong looks just like a little boy. It was refreshing to witness not just his boyish looks and smiles but his boyish nature as well. The Yi Jeong she had first met years ago was somewhat a closet loner, even though he would not admit it, and jaded. Skeptical and jaded. But now, it feels that, in some way, she's getting to know a new him all over again. It's something that makes her feel good but it also raises her curiosity as to what changed in him. Maybe something happened in Sweden.

They've never talked about Sweden yet, well maybe not in-depth. She didn't want to push him. Maybe it was her pride talking but then it's also her hoping that he'll open up the topic, and himself, a little bit more, on his own volition. And just like a mantra, she would tell herself that if he's ready to talk about it with her, then he'll be the one to initiate it. If he isn't ready yet, she can wait. It was enough a blessing already that he seems, what's the word, at peace.

She checked her clock and figured that she could do a couple of written evaluations for the quarter for her students while waiting for Yi Jeong. She always did love doing these evaluations. The school provides a general checklist that can be included in the evaluations but the administration gives the teachers the prerogative on how to go about it. The evaluations are pretty detailed and personalized, assessing the individual characteristics and development of each of her student. It wasn't an easy task but she loves doing it nonetheless. It gives her satisfaction to see and take note of how much her kids have grown in time. Her fingers typed across the keys of her laptop, describing first the journey of Mina, her bubbly and sometimes talkative student, followed by Anika, her half-Korean, half-Russian student who's showing the early signs of leader qualities. She was half-way through Anika's evaluation and she stretched out her arms a bit and checked the clock once more. She was surprised to see that it had already been an hour. She checked her watch to see if she was seeing right and when it indicated the same time her eyes automatically went to the door.

And she almost had a heart attack.

Yi Jeong was propped against the door frame, arms crossed in front of him, a smile playing on his lips.

"Sunbae!" she exclaimed. "You almost gave me a heart attack."

"I did no such thing."

"How long have you been standing there?"

"Long enough to know that your forehead still creases a bit when you're thinking deeply and that you still tap your fingers slightly when you're on the verge of getting the right word or right idea."

Ga Eul laughed at that. "You're such a stalker sometimes, sunbae."

Now, Yi Jeong laughed at that. "Am not." Yi Jeong defended, entering the classroom. "What are you doing?" he asked, as he propped himself on one of the small chairs nearest Ga Eul's table.

"I'm just writing the quarterly evaluations for the kids. How did your meeting go?"

"It went well. They were full of ideas. I was glad to be of help."

"I bet those boys were asking you for tips on how to impress girls with art, weren't they?"

"Are you some kind of psychic?" Yi Jeong asked jokingly.

"It's just common sense, sunbae. So, what did you, the famous Casanova, tell them?"

"That I'm retired?" Yi Jeong offered. Ga Eul laughed. "Well, I told them the best advice I could think of."

"Which is?"

"To be honest about your feelings. And to confess those feelings so you won't have any regrets."

There was a pregnant pause in the room.

"Hmm." Ga Eul started. "That's some advice, sunbae."

"I know. Aren't I the best?" That cracked Ga Eul up again.

"You're so full of it. Let's go, before Jae Kyung unni throws a fit at you for tardiness."

"Why just me?"

* * *

"Because I'm me and you're you. Do you even have to ask?" she chided.

"Well, well. Look who's fashionably late." Jae Kyung started as Ga Eul and Yi Jeong made their way inside the restaurant. Ji Hoo, Jun Pyo, Jan Di, Jae Kyung, and Woo Bin were already seated at their usual table.

"Well, at least we came." Yi Jeong retorted.

"As if you have any other choice. I'll just hunt you down." Jae Kyung answered right back.

"Why do you always have to show your violent streak, monkey." Woo Bin interjected. That earned him a wicked stare.

"We're sorry for being late. I promise we had legitimate reasons. Yi Jeong sunbae had to attend a club meeting which he was invited to." Ga Eul explained. "It took a while to get here. Traffic jam."

"It's okay, Ga Eul. I was just pulling on Yi Jeong's strings." Jae Kyung explained, smiling. "Well, since we're all here, let's order."

The next three and a half hours were spent eating delicious Italian food and talking about everything under the sun. This has been a kind of ritual already since Yi Jeong returned. The gang would get together for lunch or dinner at least once a week. Ga Eul found it absolutely endearing. This way they'll never drift apart. Although she talks to Jan Di and Jae Kyung almost everyday, it still is special that they have times like this when they are all gathered around together.

Over dessert, they heard about how the wedding arrangements are going from Jan Di. She explained how Jun Pyo's mother was on top of everything and that she didn't even have to worry about anything, which is a bit unnerving at times, she confessed. But she appreciated that with some of the finer and more intimate details of the wedding, her future mother-in-law consults with her or leaves up the decision to her and Jun Pyo like her wedding gown and their wedding rings. Woo Bin's club is really hitting it off with the public and it has grown a number of regulars and patrons already. Ji Hoo will be gone for a month for a short-term medical mission in the province while Jun Pyo and Jae Kyung are working on a joint business venture by their families.

"You're always joining medical missions, Ji Hoo. I'm surprised you have the time to attend to all your patients here in Seoul." Woo Bin stated.

"I really liking working with missions that visit remote provinces. You go to those places and see how simple they're all living and how much the people there appreciate your presence. Besides, it simply feels great being able to help all those people." Ji Hoo explained.

At that moment, Yi Jeong's mobile rings. He looked at the caller ID as he answered the call. "Hyung."

Ga Eul's eyes perked at that. She didn't want to eavesdrop but it's a bit hard not to hear at least Yi Jeong's part of the conversation when he's right beside her. She tried to listen to the rest of the gang who are now talking about the time when the F3 visited Yi Jeong and Ga Eul at school and how the reception of the whole student body had been. But her attention kept going to Yi Jeong's phone conversation.

"You're kidding, right?" She heard Yi Jeong say. She glanced at him and saw surprise and excitement on his face.

"When? That soon?" he asked. Ga Eul willed herself to look away since she's being too obvious but for some reason she couldn't. Even when Yi Jeong turned towards her and caught her staring. And listening.

"For how long, hyung?" he continued, not taking his eyes off hers. "That long, huh?" Ga Eul heard his brother say something back but she couldn't understand.

"I know, I know. Alright." She heard Yi Jeong reply with a deep sigh, his eyes never leaving hers. "I'll see you soon. Bye."

They stared at each other for another few seconds. Yi Jeong looked like he was about to say something but was interrupted by Woo Bin who asked him about the day when they visited him at school.

The good conversations kept on flowing for another thirty minutes before Ga Eul had to call it a night because they all have work tomorrow. As she and Yi Jeong were walking towards his car, she willed herself not to think about Yi Jeong's phone conversation with his brother. But his words kept ringing in her head. She didn't even let herself think beyond what those words might mean. And so for the rest of the drive to her house, she took care whenever she opened her mouth to speak because she might say something suddenly. And Yi Jeong seemed to notice it all.

"Are you okay?" Yi Jeong finally asked. She had been staring out her window. She turned to him to answer and she immediately noticed concern etched on his face, his forehead creasing a bit. His concern calmed her restlessness a bit and she smiled.

"I'm fine, sunbae. Why do you ask?" She tried to pretend nothing was bothering her. She didn't want to notice let alone address the elephant in the room.

"Well, you've been kind of quiet since dessert. Anything on your mind?"

Ga Eul released a soft sigh. She watched as he glanced at her every few seconds, balancing his eyes on the road. They both knew that this was all about the phone call but they were clearly running around in circles and not addressing the issue directly. She didn't know what else to say and before she knew it, they were already in front of her house. A few seconds passed by as they stayed in their seats, not saying anything.

She was the one who spoke first. Just not the right words. "Well… thanks for the ride, sunbae." She unhooked her seatbelt and just as she was about to open her door, she heard him speak.

"I have to leave again."

And just like the first time she had heard him utter those words, her heart felt like it skipped a beat. She turned to look at him. He was looking at her, somewhat gauging her reaction to this revelation.

"For how long?"

"Maybe four to six weeks."

"Hmm. Where?"

"Sweden again. The master who has taken me as a pupil the whole time I was there has an upcoming exhibition and he wants to display some of my pieces there. Sort of like introducing the art of the next generation and juxtaposing it with his era of pottery. And he wanted me to be there for the exhibit." He explained.

"When are you leaving?"

"Well, as soon as possible. My master is a pretty in-the-moment kind of person. Hyung was telling me over the phone how my teacher had just thought about the additional concept and instructed him to contact me immediately."

She chuckled at that little anecdote. "But what about the school?"

"I just need to talk to Principal Lee. I'll just ask if I can resume once I get back."

Pause.

"Are you okay with this?" she heard him ask. She noticed his tone was a little hesitant and unsure, like he's treading on thin ice. His face wasn't pale but it has lost a little bit of color. "I'll just be gone for a couple of weeks. I won't be staying there for long. 6 weeks is my limit and I'll come home even if my teacher still won't allow it." He further explained. He looked so serious now. And he's giving his explanations like it was a matter of life and death. She had already forgiven him and she felt a tinge of sadness to notice that he still feels every bit guilty for not coming back to Korea for a really long time. She didn't imagine that it would still be weighing heavily on him.

She reached both arms out to him towards his face and then stretched his cheeks with her fingers.

"Ow!" he yelped. "Yah, Chu Ga Eul!"

She laughed when she saw his face turned from serious to funny and then to a smile.

"You're so serious, sunbae. Of course, it's okay with me." You're coming back, right. She mentally added.

His smile grew wider until it transformed into laughter. It was amusing and a little heart-tugging to see relief flood through his face at her answer.

"Just stay safe, okay?" she said.

"Yes, ma'am."

"Okay." She got out of the car, buzzed in through the intercom to announce her presence, and then turned back to wave goodbye at Yi Jeong.

"Goodnight, sunbae. See you tomorrow. And drive safe." She called out. Yi Jeong was now sporting a wistful smile and waved back at her.

"Alright, then. Goodnight." Yi Jeong answered back and then he drove away.

Ga Eul's eyes followed Yi Jeong's car as it drove away and then disappeared as it turned right in the corner. She let out a long sigh and rested her back on the gate. She knew it. Somehow she knew that he was leaving again and that's why she was feeling so restless.

Four to six weeks.

It wouldn't be that long, she told herself. She had endured four years. This would be nothing. Just a piece of cake.

But still. Ever since he came back, he had again been a constant presence in her daily life. They see each other almost everyday. She'll feel some aftereffects, withdrawal symptoms, maybe. She just knows it. She turned to buzz the intercom a second time when she heard car engines drawing closer. It was Yi Jeong's car. He stopped in front of her gate, got out of the car and walked towards her, his strides filled with purpose. He stopped just right in front of her.

"Sunbae, what…"

"I know this may not seem like a very good opportunity. But I have to ask. At least I have to ask."

"What are you talking about? Are you okay?" she worriedly searched his face.

"I'm okay. Remember our contest in Santorini? Which I won, may I just add."

"Okay." She said, still not understanding anything.

"I still have two wishes, right?"

Ah, that contest, she thought. And she just nodded.

"Can I ask for my second wish now?"

"What? Right now?"

"Yeah."

"What could you possibly ask for right now?" she asked, completely confused.

She waited for him to answer. It took a few more seconds. But then he reached out and took her hand. She was almost afraid to hear what he would wish for. Almost.

"Come with me."

What did he just say? She thought.

When she didn't answer, he said again. "Come with me."

"Come with me to Sweden. That's my second wish."


	16. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

Yi Jeong released a deep sigh, his fifteenth (or is it his sixteenth) since he left Ga Eul's house, not that he was counting. He didn't know what his face looked like. He's nervous, that's an obvious fact. But for some odd reason, he felt a bubble of laughter rising in his throat. My god, he was really a goner. For Ga Eul, that is. As if he hadn't already established that years ago.

At the back of his mind, he knew he was going to ask her to come with him to Sweden. He didn't know when. Maybe from the moment when he was speaking to his brother on the phone and had caught Ga Eul looking at him. But it wasn't until he bid her goodnight and was a block away from her house that he decided to ask her.

He gripped the wheel with both his hands and sighed deeply. Again. Now he didn't know which was worse, the asking part or the waiting part. Because that's what he's doing now. Waiting until Ga Eul makes her decision. The moment that he had asked her, he wasn't really sure if she would have said yes. Of course, in his heart, he was kind of, well, completely, hopeful that she would. But now that he was alone, he didn't think he'd want something so much. So very much. Except for her to say yes. Well, apart from having Ga Eul for himself. Well, there is that. Number 1, no questions asked, on his list.

* * *

"Ga Eul, what's up?" Ga Eul heard Jan Di ask over the phone.

"Jan Di…" she started, not really knowing where to start.

"Why? Did something happen?" Jan Di asked again, her voice tinged with a little bit more concern this time. Leave it to her best friend to know that something did happen with just a word from her.

"I…"

"It's Yi Jeong sunbae, isn't it?"

What? Did she say something already? But she hasn't. So she'll chalk this one up to Jan Di's best friend skills.

"He just asked me to come to Sweden with him." Might as well go straight to the point, she mused.

Pause. A very long pause.

"What?" Jan Di bellowed over the phone. "He did, what?"

Ga Eul instantly remembered that Jan Di still doesn't know about the exhibit and how long the trip will be. So she explained, "Well, he needs to go to Sweden for a couple of weeks because his mentor has decided to include a piece of his in the exhibit. And well, he asked me to go. With him. To Sweden, that is."

"And what did you say?" Jan Di asked.

"Nothing."

"Nothing?"

"Well, nothing at first. I was so surprised. It was so out of the blue. But then I just said I'll think about it."

"And have you thought about it?" Jan Di and her questions, Ga Eul thought, partly with fondness and partly with irritation.

"I haven't." She said, exasperated. "That's why I called you."

"And you think I have the answer you're looking for." Jan Di said, more as a statement than a question.

"Jan Di…" she whined. She actually whined. "Well, at least you'll have more words in your mind than I do in mine, at the moment."

"Oh, alright."

"I don't know what to do, Jan Di."

"But it's really just a matter of deciding what you would want to do." Jan Di offered.

"That's the problem. I _don't_ know what I want to do."

"What is he going to do there again?"

"To help out his mentor, I think. Some of his pieces will be on display for the exhibit. I haven't seen those pieces yet but it'll be glorious, I think. No, I know it."

"And how long will you be gone?" Jan Di prompted slyly.

"Well, it's not really for a long time. It'll be just for a couple of weeks."

"Well, it looks like you've already decided." Jan Di proclaimed.

And then it hit her. She _had_ already decided. "I guess I already have." She just added, saying her words a bit slower than usual, as if they are slowly just sinking in. And then she heard what sounded like refrained laughter on the other end of the line.

"Geum Jan Di, are you laughing at me?"

"Hmm? Me? Laughing at you? I wouldn't dream of it." Jan Di said in an odd voice. And not one moment later, she burst out laughing.

"Yah! Geum Jan Di!" More laughter on the phone.

* * *

Ga Eul was a bundle of nerves. She couldn't stop fidgeting and every other minute, she felt like her palms are turning clammy. She was standing just outside the main entrance of the airport, suitcase in hand. She should go inside now, especially after a full fifteen minutes of just standing where she is. She knew Yi Jeong was already inside, as well as the rest of the gang. She knew because Jan Di told her over the phone fifteen minutes ago.

Why was she being so anxious now? She had already decided, hadn't she? Besides, she needs time to check in her suitcase. But she can't shake off her anxiety or excitement. She didn't know which exactly she was really feeling right now. Maybe both. Was she feeling anxious over what the rest of the gang will say? But the answer, she discovered, is no. She's not sure whether Yi Jeong told the other guys. She told Jae Kyung, whose non-surprised reaction to her decision was surprising in the least. No, she decided. She wasn't feeling anxious about how the rest of the gang will react.

She was feeling anxious, or maybe more excited, to see how Yi Jeong will react. He doesn't know yet that she had decided to go with him. She didn't deliberately withhold her answer. She planned on telling him, at school, during their lunch breaks, when he drives her home. But every time she opened her mouth, the words just won't come out. She knew he'd noticed this every time. And she didn't know if she should be grateful or not that he didn't press the issue further. She almost wished he did so she would have no choice but to tell him her decision.

There was one moment when she did almost tell him. When he wordlessly handed her the plane ticket and just looked at her with a small smile on his face. She had started with, "I…"

And then he had stopped her, well, interrupted her, to be more precise. "Well, lunch break's over." And then he dashed off.

She took a deep breath, her fingers tightening around the handle of her suitcase, and with a determined look in her eyes, entered the massive airport. As she walked, she looked to her right and then to her left, scanning the crowd to find what she was looking for. And then she found him. Them.

And just like in a drama (because seriously, does it really happen in real life?), Yi Jeong was the only one with his back turned to her. The rest of the gang was facing her fully or sideways. Jan Di was the first one to see her and her mouth just broke out into a warm smile. And one by one, like dominoes, they all looked at her and grinned.

Yi Jeong had probably noticed the silly grins on his friends' faces and the way they were staring at something behind him. Ga Eul noticed him stiffened for a moment before slowly turning around to face her. His eyes went to her face immediately, then to her suitcase and then back to her face.

She didn't think so many expressions could pass through a person's face in a span of a couple of seconds. But that was just what happened with Yi Jeong's face. Surprise. Disbelief. Relief. Joy. And maybe a couple more in between those. But now his face showed nothing but his smiling eyes and his smiling mouth.

"Ga Eul, it's about time you showed up." It was Woo Bin speaking. "My boy here has been so restless." He added, thumping Yi Jeong on the back.

Yi Jeong hasn't taken his eyes from hers and she had expected to feel unnerved by the weight of his stare. But she doesn't. She doesn't feel awkward at all, even if the rest of her close friends were staring at them like they were filming a scene for a television drama.

She stopped in front of Yi Jeong, grinned and simply greeted, "Sunbae."

Then somebody cleared a throat. Rather loudly. She dragged her eyes away from Yi Jeong's, for the first time to her utter embarrassment, and finally looked at the others, specifically at Jun Pyo, who was clearing his throat. If Jun Pyo had even thought of clearing his throat just to alert them of the awkward silence, at least for them, then it truly was an awkward silence (again at least for them). This made her more embarrassed at having been caught just looking at Yi Jeong and no one else. If she wasn't blushing right now, she must have a fever because her cheeks are feeling a little bit too warm at the moment.

"Well…" It was Jan Di who finally broke the silence with words. "I think you should check in your luggage, Ga Eul." She really loves her best friend. Yi Jeong moved and was about to say something but Jae Kyung beat him to it.

"I'll go with you, Ga Eul." She said, her voice a little too chirpy. She linked her arm with Ga Eul and off they went.

When they were out of the gang's earshot, Jae Kyung spoke again.

"I can't believe you're really doing this, Ga Eul." Ga Eul's head snapped to her side to look at Jae Kyung. But she was smiling broadly, smugly even, if she read deeper into it. "I don't know why but I'm actually happy and maybe a bit proud that you have made this decision." She added.

Ga Eul was a bit surprised at Jae Kyung. Both she and Jan Di witnessed what she had been like all those years without so much as a word from Yi Jeong. They've seen her cry and then act like none of it really mattered, and then cried some more and then finally act resigned at the inevitable end of her and Yi Jeong's story. Although Jan Di and Jae Kyung both had been angry at Yi Jeong on her behalf, she had a feeling that Jae Kyung had somehow cultivated a bit more anger towards Yi Jeong and the whole situation. Probably because she knew what it was like to have loved and lost and could not quite imagine why someone who was so clearly loved could not even manage a simple 'hello' or a 'how are you?'. But these past few weeks since their Santorini trip, she noticed that Jae Kyung was slowly warming up to Yi Jeong. So she was a bit surprised that here she was, almost telling her that she is giving her blessing for this trip. And because she wasn't entirely sure what to say to that, she just squeezed Jae Kyung on the arm that was linked with hers.

"So, with that aside, may I just remind you to take care of yourself and enjoy your trip. God knows you deserve it. And isn't it a great extra that you're going with just Yi Jeong?" Jae Kyung said, smiling teasingly.

Ga Eul's jaw slackened at that. "Unni. Are you saying you're Team Yi Jeong now? Well, not that there are other teams to speak of…" she trailed.

"Of course, there are teams. I'm on Team Ga Eul, always."

And what can she possible say to that? So she just gave her friend a very good hug and murmured, "Thank you."

* * *

Yi Jeong was not the type of man to blush. In fact, he didn't remember blushing since he was a kid and even then it was only a reddening of his ears not his face. But now he was wondering whether what he was feeling was an indication that he was, indeed, actually blushing. Because, damn it, he could feel his entire face warming up just a little too fast. And that was because the idiots he calls friends are tirelessly teasing him as they bid him and Ga Eul goodbye at the airport.

At the outset, what they were saying were nothing short of ordinary. An "enjoy your trip, you two" from Ji Hoo, a "don't get lost" from Jun Pyo (as if! He had lived there for four years!), and a "hope to see you soon" from Woo Bin, who he swore discretely added "not" at the end of his message. Those were really normal words to say when you're bidding someone goodbye, but it was their facial expressions, the teasing glints in their eyes, that really irritated him so much.

He stole a glance at Ga Eul who was hugging with Jan Di and Jae Kyung and breathed a sigh of relief that at least she was not witnessing the annoying faces that the boys are giving him.

He still couldn't quite believe that she was really going to go with him. Of course, he was wishing hard that she would but now that she was really here, well, it still hasn't quite sunk in yet. But he could care less because he was so damn happy. Ecstatic. And he could not wipe the grin off his face even if, say, a bullet were to hit him.

"Try to enjoy yourselves while I'm away, won't you guys?" Yi Jeong addressed the F3.

"Please. You'll only be gone for a couple of weeks. And besides, you were gone for four years before this. Don't think we didn't enjoy ourselves back then." Woo Bin said.

"Yeah, yeah. Whatever." Yi Jeong answered back.

"Take care of yourselves." Ji Hoo said, in earnest.

"Thanks. We will." Yi Jeong answered. His friends were idiots sometimes but they were still the best.

He then turned to Ga Eul and asked, "Are you ready to go, Ga Eul?" Ga Eul turned to him and nodded. With a serene smile on her lips.

"You take care of her, Yi Jeong." Jae Kyung reminded.

"Of course. As if I needed reminding." Yi Jeong answered jovially.

There was another round of goodbyes and then the two were off. The rest of the gang was silent as they watched Yi Jeong and Ga Eul.

"What do you think will happen?" Woo Bin asked, finally breaking the silence.

"Oh! Oh! Yah! Song Woo Bin, do you want to die?" Jae Kyung turned to face Woo Bin.

"What did I say?" Woo Bin countered.

"Nothing. Nothing will happen between them." Jae Kyung asserted.

Understanding dawned on Woo Bin and he smiled slyly and said, "My, my. Aren't we having naughty thoughts, monkey. What did you think I was talking about?" he asked, but his smile clearly shows he knows exactly the answer.

Jae Kyung turned red in the face. "What did _you_ think I was talking about?" she asked, throwing his question right back at him in retaliation.

"Well, since you asked, I'm sure you're thinking about…"

Jae Kyung cut him off. "Ah! Stop! I don't even want to hear it."

"But I-"

"Don't open that mouth of yours. Ugh!" She raised her arms in exasperation. "Sometimes, you are such a… a… a…."

"such a…" Woo Bin prompted, which made Jae Kyung a bit more irritated.

"A pig. Seriously."

"That's the best you could think of?" And Jae Kyung eyed him with daggers for that remark.

"Kids, again, please. Stop with the bickering." It was Jun Pyo. "If you can't talk like adults then at least try to be respectful children with manners."

Pffft. "Says the man who hasn't got a well-mannered bone in his body." Woo Bin teased.

"Yah!"

"I think they'll be okay." Jan Di spoke quietly. The rest of her friends turned to look at her, questioning what she was talking about. "Yi Jeong sunbae and Ga Eul. I think they'll be okay." She repeated.

"Well, nobody doubts that." Jun Pyo answered. "And since we know they'll be just fine why don't we go now and eat something. I'm starving." He added and was now walking towards the doors. The rest of the group acquiesced and followed suit.

With one last backward glance, Jan Di looked at the doors where Yi Jeong and Ga Eul disappeared to.

_Be happy, Ga Eul. And enjoy your trip. _She thought happily.

* * *

"And then imagine my surprise when our dear principal immediately approved my request for a leave. I don't think he doesn't like me that he would want to get rid of me but when he heard I was planning on having a two-week leave from school, he practically shoved me out the door. It was really weird." Ga Eul then laughed.

Two hours into their flight and they were still chatting. Ga Eul was seated by the window just as Yi Jeong thought she would have preferred.

"It's a good thing I had the kids' quarterly evaluation finished before we left. I know that Min Ji is entirely capable of doing it but I didn't want to have to burden her more than I already have with asking her to sub for me in the meantime."

"I'm sorry."

Ga Eul snapped her head towards Yi Jeong. "What?" she exclaimed. And then in a calmer voice, asked "Why?"

"I'm being terribly selfish, aren't I? To have asked you to drop what you have and come with me to Sweden." Yi Jeong explained, his face turning melancholy with each word. "I should have thought about the kids. But I guess… well, I guess, I just wasn't thinking enough of others."

"Don't be too hard on yourself." Ga Eul started.

"It's just that I feel so selfish right now but…" Yi Jeong paused for a while.

"But what, sunbae?" Ga Eul prompted.

"But I don't regret it at all."

"Oh." It was only what Ga Eul could muster at that moment.

"I am sorry but I don't regret asking you at all." Yi Jeong explained. "Does that make sense at all?" he asked sheepishly.

"Hmm…" Ga Eul started, bringing her forefinger to her cheek in an effort to look like she was deep in thought. Because she was not. Thinking at the moment, that is. Her mind quite went blank at his statement; his words warming her. But she knew what he was saying and she understood. So she told him as much. "I know what you mean, sunbae."

"I don't believe I have told you yet but I'm glad you came, Ga Eul."

Now that rendered her totally speechless. And the way he was gazing at her, it made her feel like she was flying. Well, in a totally metaphorical level, since she was, literally, flying on an airplane.

Yi Jeong must have noticed her loss for words. He didn't wait for any reply from her somewhat sensing that she was incapable of them at the moment. So he decided to steer the conversation to less tensed topics. Like, like… Damn, he couldn't think of one at the moment. What _are _less tensed topics?

And then he heard Ga Eul laughed. His eyes snapped to her face, his face probably showing his confusion.

"I'm sorry, sunbae. It's just that you looked so serious and you were thinking very hard, I can practically hear the wheels in your mind going into overdrive."

"Our trip is just starting but I have the strangest, well not strangest, just the profound feeling that this is one of the best trips I would ever have in my life."

"You're such a charmer sometimes, sunbae."

"Only sometimes?"

"Fine. Always. Happy?"

"With you? Always." And what would Ga Eul have said at that. So she just stared at him, their faces wearing the exact same expression of giddiness and joy. Both of them said nothing. And after a moment of smiling at each other, they surprised themselves even more when they burst out laughing.


	17. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

"Welcome to Sweden, Ga Eul." Yi Jeong said, as they stepped out of the doors of the main international airport in Stockholm.

Ga Eul had been feeling sleepy having just woken up just before their plane descended on the runway. But she took in her first sights and sounds of this new foreign country and she felt her body and her mind fully waking up. And she had to smile at Yi Jeong because he looked just adorable standing a few steps away from her with one arm stretched, as if he were a tourist guide.

"Jeongie! Jeongie!" Both of them turned at the sound of a male voice. Ga Eul saw a young man walking towards them.

"Hyung!"

Ah, so that's his older brother, Ga Eul thought. They barely look alike. She watched them exchange hugs and Yi Jeong's brother gave him a big slap on the back.

"Glad you're here, Jeongie. You won't believe what that mentor of yours have had me doing before you got here. I don't know how you had put up with him for four years."

"Hyung! Did you just have me come here so I will do all the work?" Yi Jeong teased.

"Well, it is your exhibit, in a way." The two brothers shared a laugh.

And it was then that Yi Jeong's brother noticed Ga Eul standing behind Yi Jeong.

"Is this her?" Yi Jeong's brother asked, glancing at Yi Jeong.

"Hyung, this is Chu Ga Eul. Ga Eul, my older brother, So Il Hyun." Yi Jeong made the introductions.

Ga Eul bowed and said, "It's nice to meet you, Mr. So."

"Oh, please, Ga Eul. I can call you by your first name right?" Il Hyun asked. Ga Eul just nodded. "No need to be so formal. Just call me Il Hyun."

"But-" Ga Eul started.

"Okay, maybe a little more formal then. How about just 'oppa'?" and then he smiled. _Ah, __so __that__'__s__ what __makes__ them __brothers. __Their __smiles._Ga Eul thought. They don't really have identical smiles but maybe it's the way they smile that is somehow similar, that gradual upward tilt of the sides of their mouth leading to that wide, full-teethed, lovely smile. But since she was a little biased, of course Yi Jeong's is lovelier.

"Il-hyun oppa." Ga Eul tested.

"Great, Ga Eul. Just great. It's great to finally meet you."

_Finally?_Ga Eul wondered.

"I've heard so much about you that now I'm glad to see the face the goes with the name."

Ga Eul threw a questioning glance to Yi Jeong and caught him elbowing his brother.

"Hyung, where's the car?" Yi Jeong asked.

"Ah, right. Well, this way my brother dearest." Il Hyun said in a lightly sarcastic voice.

The car ride was uneventful if you wouldn't count the way the two brothers constantly bickered. Or how Yi Jeong was not trying to make a fuss about wanting to sit at the back beside Ga Eul when there's clearly a vacant seat in the front beside his brother. Or how much Il Hyun, for the years he has ahead of Yi Jeong and her in age, pretty much complained about the work he had to do for Yi Jeong's so-called mentor.

But in any case, it was amusing watching the two brothers. She doesn't know much about So Il Hyun before their meeting aside from the minute detail that he ran away from the So household when Yi Jeong was barely an adult. Yi Jeong wasn't the type to offer information about his family. He had not even wanted to talk about his family. With her or with anyone else. Especially after that horrible night when the two of them dined with his father. She had forgiven him for that. But it was an experience one can not forget easily. And besides, it gave her a peek into Yi Jeong's family, no matter how dark or sad it might have been.

Now, looking at the two brothers, completely at ease with each other, Ga Eul thought that maybe it wasn't dark and sad as she had believed. Or at least, not anymore. She allowed herself a smile and turned her eyes to look out the window. And then she couldn't stop her smile from growing wider.

_Wow,__ it __feels__ good__ to __visit __new__ places._ Ga Eul thought. She took in the buildings and the rest of the cityscape of Stockholm. This was where Yi Jeong had lived for four years. This was where he had been when she, on the other hand, was miles away in Seoul. She can't wait to explore them for the next two weeks.

"You'll have so much fun here, Ga Eul. I promise." Yi Jeong vowed, his head already turned towards her.

He was smiling and Ga Eul couldn't help but smile back at him. "I know I will, sunbae."

Il Hyun cleared his throat and Yi Jeong shot him a look. But whatever that meant was instantly forgotten as Il Hyun announced that they have reached their destination.

"Come, Ga Eul." Yi Jeong said, his voice full of excitement. He took her hand and was already guiding her out the car and into the house. She barely had time to register the façade but she was able to take note of the three, maybe four floors that make up the house. It wasn't as magnificent and opulent as the houses of the F4 back in Seoul but she figures it was still above the norm in Stockholm.

"I can't wait for you to meet her." Ga Eul took pleasure in seeing the boyish grin on Yi Jeong's face as he softly pulled her into the house. And she could sense his giddiness and she can't help but smile as well.

_But wait, 'her'? Who?_

"Omma."

Ga Eul stiffened at that. Yi Jeong felt her short pause and grinned even harder at her, if that were all possible.

"Relax, Ga Eul. She's going to love you." Yi Jeong announced resolutely. "Omma, omma!" he called out again.

"What's all this shouting about?" The voice came first. And then Ga Eul could see a set of feet emerge from the carpeted staircase. And in what seemed like slow motion, at least for Ga Eul, the rest of Yi Jeong's mom form came down the stairs, stopping at the bottom, one hand resting on her hip.

Ga Eul thought she should be terrified. She was meeting Yi Jeong's mom for the first time. But then she saw the almost glistening eyes and wide smile on the face of Yi Jeong's mom. And all she saw was warmth and love.

"Omma!" Yi Jeong exclaimed, released her hand for a moment and went forward to engulf his mom in a hug. "I've missed you."

"I've missed you too, Jeongie." His mom replied, touching Yi Jeong on his cheek affectionately. And then she turned to Ga Eul and said, "And this must be Ga Eul."

Ga Eul bowed in greeting as she said, "How do you do ma'am. I'm Chu Ga Eul." As she was standing upright, she was surprised to see that Yi Jeong's mom was already making her way towards her. And before she knew what was happening, she was engulfed in a warm hug. "It's good to finally meet you, Ga Eul. I think I've been waiting for this moment." She heard Yi Jeong's mom say.

Ga Eul didn't know how to react to that. She looked at Yi Jeong who was simply watching them, asking him through her eyes what she should do but he just stood there, grinning. And shrugged. The blasted man just shrugged at her. So for the next few seconds, she stood there almost awkwardly, hugging in return but not quite so, Yi Jeong's mom.

"Omma." Yi Jeong started and his mom finally released Ga Eul from the hug but still held on to her hands.

"I'm glad you could come, Ga Eul. And welcome to our home." She said.

"Oh, thank you very much for your warm welcome, ma'am. And thank you for inviting me to stay here. I hope I am not causing you any inconvenience." Ga Eul answered.

"Oh, dear. Not at all. Not at all. You'll always be welcome here anytime."

Ga Eul was a bit puzzled to hear that. This was their first meeting after all. But they were treating her as if they have known her for a long time. Not that she wasn't grateful, because she was. She truly was. She just found it a bit odd, first with Yi Jeong's brother and then with his mom.

"Jeongie!" Il-Hyun called out as he entered the living room. He also greeted his mom with a kiss on the cheek. "I believe your mentor is demanding your presence now."

"Now?"

"No, next year. Yes, now."

"But I just came from the airport." Yi Jeong reasoned.

"Don't look at me." Il Hyun said, raising his arms in mock surrender. "I know that. I picked you up remember? But in any case, I just got off the phone with him and he strongly demands that you go to the gallery now."

Ga Eul heard Yi Jeong mutter under his breath and she could have sword she heard the words damn it and old man.

"I'm sorry, Ga Eul. I have to go right now." Yi Jeong said and then turned to his mom and added, "Omma, can you help Ga Eul settle in? I'll try to come home by dinner. You will cook dinner, right?"

"Of course. I already prepared the menu."

"You're the best."

"Thank you, son. Go now so you can come back sooner."

Yi Jeong turned to her and apologized again. "I'm so sorry, Ga Eul. Leaving you like this when we just arrived."

"No need to apologize, sunbae." Ga Eul answered honestly.

"All right, got to go. I'll see you guys in a bit." Yi Jeong smiled gratefully at his mom and gave her a goodbye kiss on the cheek. And before Ga Eul could even react, Yi Jeong leaned down to her and gave her a peck on the cheek as well. Then he was out of the door. She looked at Yi Jeong's mom, watching for her reaction. If she were surprised at how her son had acted, it didn't show on her face.

"Well Ga Eul, let's get you settled in." Ga Eul followed Yi Jeong's mom up the stairs to the third floor and then she saw her room, which was actually the guest bedroom. It was beautiful. And at the moment, she could not have described it as anything else. Everything was white, from the walls, to the furniture, to the bed and its covers. But her eyes fell instantly on the balcony, framed by soft, white curtains. Yi Jeong's mom probably noticed her fixation on the balcony because she motioned for her to come over as she walked out through its doors.

"This is my favorite part in this room." When Ga Eul stepped out to the balcony, she understood why. It offered a fantastic view of the city: buildings, historical structures, the river a little off to the left.

"I'm thinking it's my favorite part now too." Ga Eul answered, accompanied by a dreamy sigh.

"Well, I'll leave you for now so you can unpack and maybe rest for a while. I'll start dinner downstairs." Yi Jeong's mom said.

"Can I help you with dinner?" Ga Eul asked.

"Sure. I'd like some help."

"Thank you again, Mrs. So, for letting me stay here." Ga Eul said earnestly.

Yi Jeong's mom paused by the door as she replied, "Thank _you_ for coming, Ga Eul. I can see how happy Yi Jeong is that you came." And then she left.

Ga Eul looked around the room again and then took another peek at the sight through the balcony and it really did sink in that she was in Sweden. And because she couldn't help herself, she let herself fall back to the soft and inviting bed, stared at the ceiling while sporting a very goofy grin on her face. After a while, she figured she should help Mrs. So soon in the kitchen so she went about unpacking her luggage.

If in her room, she had only truly realized she was in Sweden, being in the kitchen with Yi Jeong's mom brought her right back to Korea. It felt so familiar that she suddenly felt a tinge of longing for her own family. Yi Jeong's mom prepared an entire Korean meal and Ga Eul enjoyed helping her. And it didn't hurt that every once in a while, Yi Jeong's mom would share a tidbit or two about Yi Jeong especially during his much younger years.

They were preparing the dining table and were just laughing because of a Yi Jeong childhood anecdote about stinging bees. "Yi Jeong's grandmother said she didn't quite forget Yi Jeong's face when he was stung and then was told that the bee had died because of it," she was saying. Ga Eul wondered a bit why almost all of the childhood stories that she shared with her about Yi Jeong always began with the same phrase, "Yi Jeong's grandmother said…" But before she could even think deeper into it, another voice joined in their conversation.

"Are you two talking about me?" It was Yi Jeong, looking a little, okay a lot, tired but as always had a warm smile on his face.

"Of course not." His mother replied.

"Liar." Yi Jeong retorted affectionately as he gave his mom another kiss on the cheek.

And then Yi Jeong was walking towards Ga Eul and for the second time that day, before she could even utter something, he leaned down and kissed her on the cheek. "Hey, you." He simply said.

"Hey, you too." Ga Eul answered. And because the moment was getting too intimate (with Yi Jeong's mom just steps away, she didn't know it was even possible), she reflexively cleared her throat and talked about the most mundane of topics she could think of.

"I bet you're hungry." Lame. Well, at least she gave it a try, Ga Eul thought to herself.

"Starved." And then Yi Jeong turned to the table and added, "And this is just a feast for my empty stomach."

* * *

"That wasn't funny at all." Ga Eul whined.

"Oh, it was Ga Eul. It was." Yi Jeong said, his words coming out in huffs because he couldn't hold back his laughter.

"Ma'am," Ga Eul started, turning towards Yi Jeong's mom. They were still seated at the dining table, having just finished dinner. "I know he's your son but I assure that it was not the least bit funny when he decided to twist the truth during that time. I was so scared that Jan Di had been hurt."

Mrs. So smiled indulgently at Ga Eul. And then she turned to her son and swatted his arm. "That really wasn't funny, Jeongie. I think you should say sorry to Ga Eul."

Yi Jeong almost choked on his water. "But, that was years ago."

"That doesn't make it any less wrong." His mother pointed out. "Go on. We're waiting."

Yi Jeong looked at Ga Eul. And he bit back a smile because Ga Eul had the smuggest look on her face but he was supposed to maintain his incredulous expression. He recalled that particular incident. Jun Pyo had requested or, more like, bargained with him to bring Jan Di's best friend so they can all go to New Caledonia. He didn't know how to do it so he had to resort to, er, other means. Not his finest moment but well, he didn't outright say Jan Di was in any sort of danger. Now that, Ga Eul came on to her own. He just didn't deny it.

He was _sorry_. For deceiving her, that is. The way she had looked at him when they met Jan Di and Jun Pyo at the airport was priceless. That was what he had found funny. She had shot him daggers through her eyes. And if looks can kill, he'd have died right then and there.

"Well…" Ga Eul started.

"Fine. I'm sorry, Ga Eul."

"You don't sound sincere." Ga Eul teased.

"I really am sorry, Ga Eul. For tricking you that time."

"Well, now that's an improvement."

"But at the same time, I'm not sorry."

"What are you on about?"

"I'm not sorry because if I hadn't done what I did, you would not have been in New Caledonia. With me." Yi Jeong explained, looking straight at Ga Eul.

Now it was Ga Eul who almost choked on her water. She stole a quick glance at Yi Jeong's mom, who was just smiling and glancing at her and then at Yi Jeong.

"Now, would you like to walk a bit outside, Ga Eul?" Yi Jeong's mom suddenly asked.

"Oh. I'd love to. Let me just finish cleaning the table." Ga Eul answered, starting to stand up from her seat and reaching for the plates.

"That won't be necessary, Ga Eul." Yi Jeong's mom countered, stopping her hands with hers. "I'll take care of it."

"But…"

"No buts. Besides, this is your first night in Stockholm. I can't have you doing the dishes. And I know Jeongie is just dying to be alone with you," she said and then upon hearing Yi Jeong's choking sound, amended with, "I mean, dying to show you around." And she turned her most charming smile on her son who in turn was shooting eye darts at his mother. "Now, Jeongie, be a good boy and show this wonderful girl around."

And so, after much insistence from Yi Jeong's mom, the two gathered up their coats and headed outside.

"Your mom's really…" Ga Eul started.

"Insane. I know." Yi Jeong finished. Ga Eul let out a laugh.

"No. Really nice. And really pretty. I can see where her sons got their good looks from."

It was Yi Jeong's turn to let out a laugh. "Are you teasing? Because I'm totally taking that at face value and storing it in my memory as a really great compliment from you."

Ga Eul giggled. "I simply say that because it's the truth."

"I'll still take it."

"It's fine with me. Besides, we both have always known, in fact, I think everyone in Korea has always known you were handsome. I'm just simply finding out now that it was largely because of your mom."

"Are you reducing my charm to mere genes then?"

"I didn't say you were charming." She said, teasingly. Yi Jeong feigned shock and surprise and Ga Eul immediately relented.

"Fine. You're charming and handsome like your mom's charming and beautiful. Happy?"

Yi Jeong's wide smile was an affirmative in itself and Ga Eul couldn't help but smile in return.

"I can't believe at this stage in your life, you're still fishing for compliments."

"Well, it doesn't hurt to hear compliments from the woman you lo… (cough) from women you like every now and then.

They both noticed Yi Jeong's blunder and how he immediately covered it up but both didn't comment on it.

"Anyway, what I was really trying to say is that you're mom's great. She seems really, really warm." Ga Eul explained. When she didn't hear any reply, she glanced at her side and saw Yi Jeong smiling wistfully.

"She wasn't like that before, you know." Yi Jeong said, his voice turning a little hoarse.

And then somehow a memory instantly hit her and she understood what he was saying. Ga Eul remembered that awful incident when he had asked her to dinner with his father. Yi Jeong's father had not been faithful and his wife had clearly suffered from his string of betrayals. Clearly, Yi Jeong's mom had been much affected deeply by her husband's infidelities. She looked over at Yi Jeong and somehow saw that he too was remembering. But the last thing that she wanted was for Yi Jeong's ugly memories to resurface at that moment.

"But I think the important thing is that she is now. All those things and more. And she's happy, even I can tell. Especially happy to see her son."

Yi Jeong looked at her long and hard. He then placed his arm around her shoulders and gathered her tightly to his side as they walked along. For some odd reason, Ga Eul heard Yi Jeong's "thank you" in that gesture. And she unconsciously swung her arm around his waist.

"I'm glad you're here, Ga Eul. I really am." He whispered to her temple.

"Well, if you're so glad, you should probably start showing it by touring me around, don't you think?"

Ga Eul heard and felt Yi Jeong's laughter, with her close to his side like that.

"Yes, ma'am." He answered, saluting at the same time.

For the next hour, Yi Jeong did tour her around, at least to the ones nearest their house. He would share with her anecdotes about those certain places once in a while. Ga Eul realized that he really made lots of memories in Sweden. And all the more was she remembering that that meant lots of time away from Korea. She waited for some lingering bitterness to rise up within her and when it did not, she was a tad surprised. But then she knew this was because at that moment, she understood even just a little bit of what Sweden had been like for Yi Jeong.

It was only much later that night, when Ga Eul was already settled in bed, that she realized that during the whole time they were walking outside, they never did break apart from each other.


End file.
